A Home for a Pirate
by Vovo
Summary: Two loves in a pirate's heart. A restless soul with no home. As the ship sails, he dreams of adventures... As his heart beats, he yearns for love. Gan NingxLing Tong. Yaoi. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**Dynasty Warriors and its characters are not mine, they belong to Koei. I'm not making any profit from writing this story.

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><p><strong>Author:<strong> Vovô

**Pairing:**Gan Ning x Ling Tong**.**

**Genres:**Romance, Humor, Drama, Adventure.

**Warnings:**Yaoi, Lemon.

**Beta:** Xian Ke (thank you for helping me so much! And I'm so happy for sharing this love for GNxLT with you too!)

**Summary:** Two loves in a pirate's heart. A restless soul with no home. As the ship sails, he dreams of adventures... As his heart beats, he yearns for love.

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><p><strong>AN:** This story is some kind of a sequel to Shaky Ground—my other GNxLT story—but it can be read as a whole new story. It's just that I like to think the story of Shaky Ground ended there, but other times I want to think there's a continuation. So maybe the readers could choose what they want it to be ^^ This first chapter is not so short, because there's smut in it (already!) and smut always makes my chapters longer. I wanted it to have more humor, but it came out with some drama, I'll try to brighten the mood in the other chapters.

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><p><strong>Word <strong>**counting:** 4,845.

**A Home for a Pirate**

**Chapter 1**

The waters grew cold and the waters grew warm. All sort of colors spread over the land while the moon and the sun danced in the sky. They world had turned for a year when a splash was heard in a place lost in the seas. A silver glow was trembling over the dark blue waters as they opened their way for a figure to emerge.

Gan Ning felt his body shiver slightly as the warmth of the waters slid down his skin, exposing him to the night breeze's touch. He looked around—beyond the languid waves—and saw a distant glow of white sand, below a horizon of sparkling stars. He took a deep breath. The world seemed to be so far away. His memories of the war were slowly fading into a gray abyss. Sometimes they howled and echoed somewhere distant in his soul, but they soon were replaced by daydreams of warm smiles and laughter. His friends... Were they alright? It had been so long since he left them, after the war ended. Peace had finally returned to its place in their world.

So one day he was gone.

Gan Ning took a ship and traveled without destination, throwing himself in the arms of the unknown. He hadn't been alone. His former soldiers accompanied him in the beginning of his journey. They filled his days with jokes and smiles and brawls sometimes. They were all happy together... but they started to disappear slowly over the time... over the ports. And one day, Gan Ning took his ship and left alone.

However, he didn't felt alone. He had his good memories, warm memories of hot breaths and whispering fingers; tall memories with long legs and irritating smirks that turned into kisses. Gan Ning loved them all, the light kisses, the playful kisses, the angry kisses, the hard kisses, the desperate kisses that drew him into a confusion of arms and moans.

Maybe it was time to go back. No, he was sure it was time to go back. Out of the waters and back into the ship, he set sail when the taste of the salt was still on his lips. The beating of his heart served as a compass towards what he wanted, what he needed.

That night, he set a destination for the first time in his journey.

xxx

It was the same place, but it seemed so different. Gan Ning had walked through Wu territory, through sunny fields and roads. They hadn't changed much—at least the places where he stepped in—but they smelled different... And a different song echoed in the air, a breeze of hope and peace caressed his ears.

Where would the blond find him? Would he have to go far? Gan Ning felt he could take anything; he could face anything if it was to find what he was looking for. And what he was looking for...

_Ling__Tong._

_Where__'__s__Ling__Tong?_ Was his first thought when he reached the palace yards. Several heads turned in his direction and eyes were surprised with the recognition of a former officer of Wu. His body advanced through halls and corridors in loud strides, as quick as the beating of his heart. His chest constricted in an anxious mixture of joy and pain. He just wanted... so much...

And then he saw a young man dressed in red. As opposite from what Gan Ning expected he would do, he kept himself in place. For a moment, he didn't dare move or breath. Gan Ning fixed his glowing orbs on the image in front of him and a lump of words and feelings remained stuck in his throat. For a moment, he was paralyzed, held in a dream that was real, not being able to do anything but love.

Ling Tong was surrounded by children; he had been teaching them a few fighting moves. The air had been filled with laughter and giggles, but they suddenly stopped when little heads turned to a certain direction. All pair of eyes stared in awe at a blond man a few feet away. Ling Tong's smiling face became serious as he set his eyes on the other warrior. He gaped in surprise when he recognized the face he knew so well, the face he would never forget.

"I think it's time for a break now," he told the children when he regained the ability to speak. The aspiring warriors looked at Ling Tong in a moment of hesitation before dispersing in playful laughter again.

He walked slowly towards the blond, as if he still didn't believe in his eyes. Was Gan Ning really there in front of him? It had been... months, maybe a year since he left. Closer, Ling Tong realized Gan Ning was all there, standing in his golden aura, like a statue made of sun. He was bare chested and no longer wore any armor, but the bells were still there. Ling Tong traced the tattoos with his eyes, tasting the music they once created when those muscles and arms were around him.

"Your hair is longer," he whispered after a pair of fingers lifted a blond lock and let it lay back on Gan Ning's skin.

"You're wearing a scarf," the other man let a small smile appear on his face.

"Don't you like it?" Ling Tong had a playful tone underneath his question.

Gan Ning savored the voice that caressed his ears sweetly and stared at warm brow orbs—they seemed to draw him in. Never had he felt like this. With no one else.

Ling Tong put his hands on his hips. "Yes or no?"

The blond woke up from his reverie and smiled playfully. "Would you stop wearing it if I said no?"

A small frown appeared on Ling Tong's face. He was about to answer when a group of children ran into their conversation, brushing their small bodies against the two men in their game. "Hey, kids, I'm having a serious talk here."

The smallest of the boys eyed Gan Ning and then grabbed a piece of Ling Tong clothes in his small fingers. "He looks mean..."

Ling Tong smirked. "He's a pirate. Pirates are mean."

"Is he trying to hurt you?" the boy asked seriously.

"No... He wouldn't do that. He knows I can beat him any time I want, so..." he assured the boy. "Don't worry, go there and play with the other kids. But you know, tomorrow, I'll see you at training."

The boy smiled and ran in the direction of the other children, but not before sticking his tongue out to the blond.

"Hey!" Gan Ning yelled. "Come back here, you little brat!"

Ling Tong chuckled and put a hand on the blonde's chest, preventing him from chasing the boy. "Let him go, he's just a kid."

"But kids need to know to respect Gan Ning."

"He won't if you start running after him..."

"He's lucky I'm in a good mood."

"Yeah?" Ling Tong let one of his fingers play with a bell on the man's chest.

Gan Ning drank in the beautiful features of the other warrior. "Yeah."

Ling Tong touched the back of the blonde's arm and made him walk with him. "I have something to show you."

Gan Ning followed Ling Tong, walking beside him, remembering the sounds of his steps, smooth, sensuous in synchrony with the sway of his body.

The sun kissed their skin in that late afternoon, as they slowly walked, welcoming each other's presence after the long absence.

"Are you training those kids to fight? I thought the war was over." Gan Ning asked when they entered the palace.

"The war is over, but the kids still need to learn how to fight." Ling Tong looked at the blond. "Not for killing, but to protect their land, to protect the ones they love."

Gan Ning remembered the times of war, how he had seen many die, how many died by his hands. How many families he must have shattered... Had Ling Tong really overcome all the pain he felt for the loss of his father and transformed it into another feeling? A strong will to protect the people?

"I don't know how you can do this." Gan Ning smiled sadly, wondering if, deep inside, Ling Tong still felt the shadows of a silent hatred towards him.

"I need patience! Lots of it. You don't know how those kids are sometimes. I must be the king of patience now..." He stared at Gan Ning with narrowed eyes. "You don't know how it is to wait for a stupid pirate to come back home."

Gan Ning felt his chest clench in a sudden feeling of guilt. Ling Tong had been waiting for him. "But I'm here again, ain't I?"

"Yeah..." Ling Tong looked at Gan Ning, seeing everything that was the same and everything that changed. He could tell he came back different from his journey, but the way he looked into his eyes was the same, that everlasting flame.

"So... What is it you have to show me?"

"Ah..." Ling Tong awakened from his reverie. "I forgot to tell you something. You no longer have a room."

Gan Ning blinked a few times and then stared at Ling Tong in disbelief. "What?"

"Well, you left and... Someone took your room."

"But..." Gan Ning had left all his treasures there. He knew that he might lose them one day, but he didn't think people in Wu would do this to him.

"It's already done..." Ling Tong patted the man's shoulder sympathetically.

"Who's there now?" If Gan Ning found out who...

"I'm there. I asked Sun Quan soon after you left and he couldn't say no to me."

"You..."

"My room now." Ling Tong smiled victoriously as he stopped in front of the door. "Wanna take a look?"

"Yeah..." Gan Ning crossed his arms and entered the place that once was his.

"There are too many things here, you know, from the previous owner. I don't know what to do with them..."

A profusion of colors hit Gan Ning's eyes when the door was opened. He could remember the sound of giggling coins when he saw the wooden chests. And there was the elegant chuckle of the pearl necklaces and the rubies embracing each other. Adorned swords were facing one another in challenge on the wall. Daggers were in a fighting stance, prepared for adventures at an island made of jade, surrounded by a sea made of silk. The colorful fabrics danced in waves over the noble chairs and chubby couches. Maps and scrolls discussed a strategy for a treasure hunt over the table. The warmth of memories filled Gan Ning's chest, making him breathless by the image of the past that hit him. It was all so precious.

Suddenly, a small metallic sound floated around the air. Gan Ning turned towards the window's direction and saw a pair of bells. They moved with the wind and danced around each other before fighting gently, hitting one another, metal against metal, yelling playfully in little jingles. And then they brushed softly against each other and stopped together in a silent understatement.

Gan Ning chuckled softly when he recognized a pair of bells he had given. He looked around his room... Ling Tong's room... Their room... And saw the other man sitting on the edge of the bed. Gan Ning walked towards him and stood between his opened legs. "Here already? Wanting to make up for the lost time?"

Ling Tong looked up and smirked. He pulled Gan Ning forward by the waist and started to loosen sashes, open belts, pulling and pushing until he dropped the unnecessary items of clothing to the floor. Ling Tong pulled the pirate's pants down and made him stand naked in front of him. His eyes stared at the body exposed to him, from the top of the sun kissed stubborn locks—standing proudly on the top of his head—to his toes. The blond pirate was really there. Entirely there. He then embraced his waist and pressed his face to Gan Ning's abdomen, feeling the muscles twitch under the warm skin. Ling Tong traced the lines with his lips and pressed his nose to Gan Ning's burning body. The pirate smelled of sand and water and sweat and love. Ling Tong pressed the legs between his thighs and held him tightly with his arms. They were together and he wanted to cry in joy.

Gan Ning stared down at Ling Tong's face and felt his heart clench in his chest. He didn't know how he had survived without him. Some days he stared at the horizon, saw the seagulls flying over a blue sky, thought it was fine... only to spend the nights drowned in alcohol to make him numb the pain he felt. Why was he a man torn between two loves? The wanderlust and...

"Ling Tong..." he whispered softly, calling the young man's attention. He entwined his fingers in soft brown hair and caressed Ling Tong's nape with the other. Gan Ning pulled his lover's head slightly backwards so he could lean over him and take his mouth in a passionate kiss. Their lips pressed hard against each other in desperate need. The hunger that awakened—instead of being satiated by the devouring kisses—seemed to be growing with every bite, every lick, every time their lips met. It was similar to when they fought; it was hard and emotional because of the depth of the desire that always laid underneath.

Gan Ning pushed Ling Tong over the mattress and crawled over him like a beast that hungered for flesh. Fearing for his clothes' safety, the long-haired warrior started to take them off his body in haste. Gan Ning's hands were impatiently claiming all the skin that was revealed in hard caresses. Ling Tong was having a hard time breathing steadily with all that was happening, he missed all that so much. Gan Ning's mouth explored his body, traveling over his shoulders and chest, going down his torso and still craving for more. The blonde's arms hooked around his thighs as he positioned himself in between them. He took the organ that implored for attention in his mouth and sucked a few times, feeling it harden. Then he licked the length from base to tip, tracing the underside in a wet caress. Ling Tong was squirming in joy under him, panting as the mouth came over him again and sucked hard.

At a moment, Gan Ning sucked the head one last time before moving away. If he wasn't mistaken, there was a vial in the first drawer of the bedside table. And there it was. Where he left it. He looked at Ling Tong, in his glorious nakedness over the mattress and wondered if he had given himself to other men during his absence. On their bed. But that was a question he wasn't in the mood to discuss at that time. At that moment, he only wanted to... be with him once again.

Gan Ning returned to the warmth of Ling Tong's body and put one of his legs over his shoulder for him to gain better access. He let the contents of the vial fall over his opening slowly, making it slide over the skin and some drops land on the sheets. His fingers smeared it over the place and inside. Gan Ning used all the patience that was still left in him to prepare Ling Tong. He spread the substance over his hard member and laid the vial beside him. Gan Ning guided his organ to Ling Tong, until its tip brushed the opening. He pushed forward and hissed at the tightness, retreating to try again.

Ling Tong urged for him to go on, desperate to feel Gan Ning once again. He saw the blond lifting his other thigh, until the back of his legs rested on the blonde's shoulder. Ling Tong felt the large head brush against him once again and took a deep breath before feeling it enter. He closed his eyes and felt the rest of it moving in, painfully, slowly, and he felt tears cloud his eyes.

Gan Ning forced his way in, feeling the tight heat enveloping his hard member. He retreated once more and went back deeply, until he felt Ling Tong's body surrender completely to him. Gan Ning moved out almost completely and grabbed the back of his thighs, slamming back in a hard motion.

Ling Tong cried out in pain and pleasure, feeling Gan Ning thrust in him harder and harder, taking him with desperate need. He felt his entire body shudder in delight with the rough treatment. It was just what he needed, what he was craving for. The back of his thighs were reddened by Gan Ning's fingers and nails squeezing the skin, while the length slid all the way inside him.

"Gan Ning..." Ling Tong warned, he was close. He grabbed his own member in hand and slid his palm over the length, squeezing it and stroking it until he was almost at the edge. Then he stopped and waited for Gan Ning to reach the same point as him. He felt the blonde pushing his thighs forward with his body and thrust in him desperately, hard and fast until he was coming in profuse waves. Ling Tong smiled in satisfaction as he resumed the movements of his hand and set free a pleasure he had been holding, just to feel it with the blonde.

They both panted in blessed exhaustion. Their bodies were a mess of limbs and sweat, smelling like sex and lustful devotion. Their skins were glistening with sated desire and longing.

Gan Ning lay beside Ling Tong and stroked his cheek. He felt a hand come over his blond locks and their lips met in a soft kiss. Gan Ning leaned over Ling Tong and kissed his neck and chest, until he found the place where the heart was beating for him. He slid his cheek over it, feeling the beating under his skin. Gan Ning locked his gaze with Ling Tong's and smiled playfully. "Did you miss me?"

The brunet's heart started to beat faster and Gan Ning felt it. Ling Tong sighed, how could he lie to him? But instead of answering he returned the question. "Did you?"

Gan Ning's expression became serious. "You don't know how much."

"But why haven't you come sooner? Was your journey that good?"

The blond lifted himself to sit on the bed. "You bet. We found a ship and we traveled to all those new places."

"We?" Ling Tong arched one eyebrow.

Gan Ning smirked. "Yeah, we. Why? Did you think I've been alone all this time?"

Ling Tong wanted to lift himself up in a sudden bolt of rage, but the pain in the lower half of his body prevented him to. "You heartless bastard."

A small chuckle escaped Gan Ning's throat. "I told you, you had to come with me." Oh, how he missed that furious expression on Ling Tong's face... He tried to contain his chuckles when he saw a punch coming his way. "Hey, calm down, baby." He grabbed the brunet's wrist.

"Don't tell me to calm down! You come here as if you were finally back and you tell me in my face you've only used me for your entertainment. How do you expect me to be calm?"

"Come here..." Gan Ning held him tightly. "It wasn't what I meant... It was just me and a few of my soldiers back from war."

"It wasn't only one?" Ling Tong furrowed his eyebrow in anger.

Gan Ning laughed. "We just traveled together, we didn't have sex!"

Ling Tong looked at him in disbelief, feeling like a jealous fool. "You... I thought..."

"Oh... that's cute, you love me so much."

"I don't love a filthy pirate."

"Yes, you do."

"I don't."

"But I do."

Ling Tong blinked a few times. "What?" he asked in confusion.

"I'm telling you I love myself." Gan Ning smiled. "I don't know why you shouldn't."

"Love myself?"

"No, love me."

"I'll go crazy if I do."

"You know you're not very sane, don't you?"

"No, I'm not, that's why we're having this crazy talk."

Gan Ning chuckled. "Yeah..." The man leaned back against the pillows and felt the welcoming feeling of being back in a place he knew. In a place that used to be his home. Used to be... Where was his home then? His ship? Or nowhere in the world. Maybe his destiny was to roam around forever, until something made him stop, until he was killed and then... Would he die alone?

"You have a strange look on your face... It almost seems you're thinking..."

"Hm..." Gan Ning felt a finger over his cheek and turned to look at his lover. "Ling Tong... Have you finished whatever you were doing here?"

"What? You want me to leave?" The brunet looked at him in disbelief. "Did you forget it's my room now?"

Gan Ning chuckled. "No... I was talking about those things of honor and duty you were doing for Wu."

"Ah... That... Hm... There's still a lot to do. You know, I've been traveling around the country and I only got back some weeks ago. You were lucky to find me here."

"And when do all these duties end?"

"Hm... I don't know." Ling Tong moved closer. "Why? You're thinking about leaving already?"

"It's just that... I found a deserted island and it looks like no one had ever been there. You know, I found a few of these places during my journeys, but I've never found something so incredible. There's a place so high it makes you feel you're touching the sky. And there's a waterfall that I don't know where it comes from, like it's materializing from nothing and falls down from up there. I thought of calling the place Island of Gan Ning or Xingba's Island, I'm still thinking about it... And I've been thinking... Maybe I need someone there to be my witness."

"Just to be you witness?"

"Yep. I thought you'd be the perfect witness because you're an officer an all and I could have free sex."

"Oh, thank you for making me feel special."

"You're welcome, baby." Gan Ning stared at him expectantly. "So... What do you say?"

"I... I don't know..." Ling Tong frowned in thought. "Can you give me some time to think?"

"Sure. Hm... Five minutes is okay? I just left my ship in the harbor and... I think no one would dare to steal it but... there are a lot of thieves and pirates out there, you know?"

"I can't believe it... You're more concerned about your ship than me."

"No, it's not like that... but... I don't trust those new guys taking care of the docks."

"You know what? Stay with your ship," the brunet hissed.

"Ling Tong!" Gan Ning grabbed the man by his wrists and made him stare at him "I want you to come with me!"

The expression on the brunet's face softened. "Gan Ning... I'm glad you came back for me... But I still have some things left to do... If only you gave me some more time..."

"And what? I come back and you tell me you won't go again. You know what I think? That you're too afraid to come with me. You're too selfish to leave your things, your rank, your place in Wu and leave with a pirate. You're too attached to what you have here to really accept me for what I am... and love me for what I am, and come with me."

"You're right. There are things important for me here... There are things I love here. There are things I have to take care of. And you're a big boy; you can take care of yourself... But don't you think I've never thought of throwing it all away to be with you... just to be with you one more time... Life just made us meet in a strange way and... get together in a strange time. Now it's setting us apart... Don't you think I suffer?"

"Then why don't you come with me? Just for a while... I'm not saying I'm gonna steal you away from the world... I just want to show you the things I see... And maybe..."

_Maybe I am the selfish one. Wanting to have all the things I love... I just don't want to lose anything..._

"Give me one year... until I finish what I have to."

"I don't want to give you a year. Because I know that this year will become two and then three. I know you will serve Wu with all you have to give, and you'll become an important man in the kingdom and then all those things you have to do won't stop coming... And if I don't drag you out of here, maybe... maybe I'll lose you for good one day. You'll marry and have kids, and you'll no longer have space for a pirate in your life."

"Gan Ning..." Ling Tong was afraid to face the other man, because deep down he feared he was telling the truth.

Suddenly, the blond got up from the bed and dressed hastily. "Maybe... Maybe I already lost you." He looked around the room that once was his. All those treasures... Once they belonged to him, but in his past. In his present, what he had for sure was his memories. Maybe the man on the bed was a memory too. A soon to be memory that would haunt his dreams forever. "Ling Tong... it was good to see you." He smiled sadly and left the room without looking behind.

His steps resounded over the empty corridors of the palace as he rushed through them. The night soon engulfed him when he stepped outside. It had grown cold and Gan Ning felt the air even colder against his bare chest... Because inside, he held a saddened heart.

Gan Ning didn't even know how he had reached the docks, but the fact was that he did, faster than he expected. He got on board the ship and prepared to set sail... to where, he didn't know. Maybe he would lose himself forever in the seas, be like those madmen who traveled until they could no longer breathe, until the waters engulfed their bodies, until their souls were eaten by the time.

The wind was blowing angrily against the sails; it would surely carry him fast out of there. The waves started to crash against the sides of the ship with more force. The weather was changing furiously. It didn't take long for him to hear the clouds thundering over the sky and see a distant light crack over the horizon. Some more whips of electricity hit the dark night before raindrops started to fall mercilessness.

The weather was terrible, but Gan Ning didn't want to give up on his intent. He pulled the anchor inside and felt the ship moving. It was then he saw a soaked thing running towards the docks. Gan Ning blinked in surprise when he saw a trembling figure filling his vision with color. Ling Tong was pale and soaking wet and was the most beautiful thing Gan Ning had ever set eyes on. The man rushed towards the ship and jumped in a desperate attempt to reach it.

Gan Ning saw Ling Tong's body scrape against the side of the ship and then fall to the freezing water. He held his breath when he saw the warrior disappearing under the dark waves.

Ling Tong felt a piercing coldness envelope his body and fought not to be sucked to the bottom of the river. He tried to swim towards the light, but he saw none around him. Then he just let his instinct guide him upwards, until he was facing a different type of cold. He felt the chilling wind hit his skin and he shivered all over. It was so hard to breath and he felt his strength leave his body. He tried to concentrate and summon all his will to be able to shout. His mouth opened in the form of the name he had called so many times, but he felt his voice muffled by the harsh wind. The ship moved far away from him and it was all he remembered before the darkness took control of his senses.

xxx

A small chuckle filled the dim lit room.

Ling Tong opened his eyes and found a pair of golden orbs making fun of him.

"You should be grateful, I saved your ass out there."

The brunet cursed under his breath. Just when he got the chance to get rid of the damn pirate, he had intertwined his path with his once again.

Fate was an ironic thing...

x

x

x

**tbc...**

**A/N**: I hope you like this first chapter and I'm excited to start the next one. Thank you for reading and thanks to the ones who encouraged me to write more GNxLT, I love this pairing so much and it makes me happy to see there are people who like it too! Thanks to all the ones who have read Shaky Ground and thank you, **Xian****Ke**, for being the beta for this story, it made me feel less worried to know you liked it!

So I'll be writing the next chapter of this fic and finishing another DW story, a Zhao YunxCao Pi (for those who are interested). If you want to know how my stories are progressing, here's my twitter: **vovo_ficwriter**.

See ya!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I'm sorry for the long wait, but I've been busy lately... I won't let this happen to the next chapter though. There must be some errors in the text, because it was un-betaed. Dear Xian Ke is busy with school and other things, so she won't be beta-ing for a while. Until then, I'll be missing her as my beta and banging my head against a wall whenever I see a difficult sentence (xD). I was really happy with the reviews I received, and it makes me eager to write more. I hope you like this chapter and, what can I say, Gan Ning and Ling Tong are very much in love.

**Word Count**: 2,660

**A Home for a Pirate**

**Chapter 2 **

Ling Tong blinked a few times, feeling a little disoriented in that strange place. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It smelled like old memories of wood and ancient lives made of salt.

Was it a dream?

His eyelids opened again and scanned the place around him. Swirling shadows danced as the room moved, creating phantasmagoric forms over the wooden floor and walls.

"Hey... Are you okay?"

The dark-haired warrior felt a warm hand squeeze his and he returned his attention to the blond pirate. "Hmm... Where..."

"My ship, don't you remember? You came running after me desperately and you fell into the water."

"Have I done this?" Ling Tong asked in slight surprise.

Gan Ning furrowed his eyebrows in concern. "Did you hit your head or something?"

"I don't know..." Ling Tong was still a little confused.

"Did you forget who you are?" The blond pirate asked softly and looked at the brunet with an indescribable expression, before speaking again, "I'm Gan Ning, your master. You used to call me _Great__Xingba_ and you did everything to please me, every time I wanted... how many times I..."

"Gan Ning... I know who you are..." Ling Tong rolled his eyes.

The pirate grinned. "I had to try."

"So _Great __Xingba_. Are we near the port?"

"Why do you want to know?" The pirate furrowed his eyebrows and crossed his arms over his chest.

"Because I have to go back to the land."

"I thought you were here to come with me!" Gan Ning exclaimed.

"No... I just..." Ling Tong stared at the golden orbs fixed on him. "I don't know... I didn't think. I just couldn't let you go like that..." He saw the blond's expression softening by that and a hand touching his face.

"Ling Tong... Do you realize what it means?" Gan Ning kissed the brunet's cheek.

"Yeah... I'm crazy, I know." He said softly as he felt a kiss on his other cheek.

"I love you too." Gan Ning captured Ling Tong's lips and claimed them as his own.

The long-haired officer felt a warm body come over his as he was kissed by a possessive mouth. He realized that he had been so cold before Gan Ning pressed himself against him. Ling Tong warped his arms around the pirate and held him tightly, as if his life depended on it, as if his kisses were the reason for his existence, as if his love was the air he breathed.

"Do you still need a reason to come with me?" Gan Ning asked softly after the kiss ended.

"But where are we going?"

Gan Ning chuckled. "I don't know... Anywhere."

"Why not Wu, then?"

The blond pirate frowned. "You know why."

"Gan Ning, you know I can't leave like that..."

"Look, this weather made the ship go far away from the land, the wind is pulling us in the other direction. We can't go back now."

"For how long until it stops?"

"A few days, maybe more. It's a strong wind. It's been a while since I've seen the weather so angry."

"I'm really stuck with you here..." the Wu general trailed off.

"Isn't it great?" Gan Ning showed a large grin.

"It wasn't exactly in my plans..." Ling Tong sighed.

"Look, if we continue in this direction we'll be able to reach a port in a few days, and then we can buy what we need for our journey."

"Wait... I..."

"From there we can reach the island I told you about in a week or two."

Ling Tong stared at Gan Ning's eyes deeply. "Are you really serious?"

"It's because of the wind, I told you, it's leading us in that direction."

"The wind, you say." Ling Tong stared at Gan Ning suspiciously.

"Yeah... that thing that blow things."

"Yeah... I know," Ling Tong rolled his eyes.

"But..." Gan Ning stared deeply at his lover. "I could say it's fate. I can feel it telling you: 'Go Ling Tong, go with Gan Ning. He'll show you happiness in bed. You belong to him.'"

"What a poet you are..." The brunet mocked him.

"Did you see? It even rhymed. I know I still have lots of talents to explore. Let's try it again: Come, Ling Tong; come here in my arms; I'll lay you on this bed and make you see stars."

"Pleeeeeeeeeeeease, stop it!"

"I will take your clothes off, make you feel like never before; I'll make you moan my name and make you beg for more."

"Okay, I'll go with you to that island, whatever, but, please, promise me you will never try poetry again."

"I don't know, it could be a talent wasted..."

"Believe me, you do other things better."

"Like what?"

"Like sex."

"Ah okay, if you say so." Gan Ning grinned. He leaned closer to Ling Tong again and picked a brown lock, warping it around his finger. "So you'll really come with me..."

"To that place you wanted to show me. Gan Ning's Island or whatever you want to call it. Then I'll go back to Wu."

"But..."

Ling Tong silenced Gan Ning, pressing his fingers to the blond's lips gently. "I will only agree if it's this way."

Gan Ning kissed the fingers pressed to his lips. "Okay."

Ling Tong stared at the golden orbs filled with emotion and sighed deeply. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to spend some time with the pirate after all.

x

x

x

x

A time of peace was not easy, as some would think. A world of justice and harmony could be inspired by dreams, but only hard work could sustain its bases to make it real. It had been proved that a young ruler could win a war, but could this ruler maintain the peace and keep the raging beast of chaos far away from his land and people?

_Am I doing the right thing? _

Sun Quan walked through his palace's halls with a somber expression on his face, carrying the weight of responsibility with him through the corridors. He stopped and saw the whipping sky outside, gray and frail as it seemed to tremble behind the clouds. The weather was surely gloomy and he thought life must be hiding somewhere warm. However, he could hear the gentle singing of birds and distant laughter of children. Sun Quan smiled, forgetting about his worries for a moment. It was then he heard soft steps approaching and he turned to look at his young strategist—his friendly source of intelligence and determination warped in a boyish gracious body.

"I thought you were preparing yourself for the meeting, my lord," Lu Xun smiled sweetly.

"I..." Sun Quan saw the strategist's smile and forgot what to say for a little while. "I was."

"Now you aren't."

"No..." Sun Quan confessed. "I'm just... thinking."

"I'm not here to reprimand you, my lord," Lu Xun chuckled slightly.

"I know," the young ruler smiled.

"I was just looking for you because..." Lu xun stared at Sun Quan's eyes and felt at a loss for words.

"Because...?"

"Because it's... almost time."

"Is it?"

"Yes."

"I should be going then." Sun Quan turned to the direction of the conference room and started walking towards the place, only waiting for Lu Xun to get to his side and follow him.

"It wasn't my intention to make you hurry, my lord," the young officer tried to keep up with Sun Quan's pace.

"Being late is not a good example from a ruler, don't you think?" He looked at Lu Xun smiled.

"Indeed..." the strategist smiled back.

When they entered the conference room, all officers stood up to greet their lord. Sun Quan and Lu Xun took their places and everyone sat again. The leader of Wu looked around and was pleased to see that almost all officers were there.

Sun Quan decided to wait until all officers arrived.

The meeting would start soon.

All officers were glaring at each other anxiously, waiting.

The meeting should start soon.

Sun Quan took a deep breath.

The meeting should have started sooner.

Lu Xun stared at Sun Quan, "My lord, should we start?" he asked softly.

The young ruler looked around the room and couldn't help but feeling someone missing. "Hm... Where's Ling Tong?

X

X

X

X

The ship waltzed over the seas, lulling Ling Tong's sleep. He was in that state when dreams start to fade, but reality is still blurry. His body could feel the movements of the ship, but he was still locked in a confusing darkness. However, the feeling was not unpleasant, it was like a drunken disorientation. Ling Tong didn't know where he was, but he knew he was somewhere safe, because he could feel the pirate's warmth, even though the man wasn't at his side.

Slowly, the waking up instinct started to take control over his body. He turned and stretched in joyful laziness, as his fluttering eyelids were deciding if they would stay shut or welcome the new day.

Ling Tong was sure he had overslept, the events of the night before had exhausted him. Even though the young general still felt a little sore, he was convinced the sleep had healed most of his weariness.

After stretching some more and kicking the sheets off of him, Ling Tong finally decided to leave the comfort of the bed. The young man looked around and, even though he knew he was awake, the place still seemed like a dream. Ling Tong had seen the room the night before—distorted by the shadows—but in the light of the day, it still felt strange. It wasn't a bad feeling, he just didn't have time to get used to its wooden walls. Alone with Gan Ning in a ship... It didn't feel real. But talking about the blond pirate...

_Where is he? _

Ling Tong got up and shivered slightly, realizing he was naked... He assumed Gan Ning had taken off his wet clothes to dry somewhere. The young man walked around the room and found a wardrobe... empty. He looked around and inspected the place, in search of some clothes, but he didn't find any.

The long-haired general crossed his arms and frowned slightly.

_He must have clothes somewhere... _

_But where? _

Grabbing the white sheets to cover himself, Ling Tong left the room in search for Gan Ning. Feeling the surface of the wood below his bare feet, he walked over the creaking planks. The walls and floor seemed to whine softly as the ship moved, as if the place was alive; an old, grumpy and determined body of wood making its way through the vast waters. Its corridors seemed forever dark and Ling Tong had the impression he wasn't alone: the shadows lurked behind the corners, watching his every move. But the atmosphere didn't seem to scare him, it just felt like a strange new home. Never did it prevent his advances; the general walked freely, welcomed by its timeless air.

It wasn't a big ship, so it didn't take long before he found the loud body of energy he loved so much. The keeper of his heart was standing in the form of a pirate on the deck. Ling Tong's warm brown eyes watched in awe as the man was hit by the angry cry from the clouds. The sky was a turbulent gray madness that hid the heaven above, and the wind was a desperate force that howled against the brave ship.

Gan Ning stared at the chaotic horizon in amazement. He couldn't help but admire the peaceful and the angry displays of feelings the nature presented him. The heavy rain punishing his body didn't bothered him. His soul was contented in just being there, just watching it, just being a little part of its greatness.

Ling Tong stared some more as the pouring rain slid down Gan Ning's body, darkening his blond hair, moving over his shoulders, scratching his tattoos and falling down his back. He started to feel a little jealous of the water that touched and embraced what belonged to him.

"What are you doing?" Ling Tong shouted through the rain.

Gan Ning turned and set his golden orbs on the long-haired general. "What are YOU doing?" he asked when he saw Ling Tong standing at the door, facing the cold weather with only a thin sheet around him.

"Where are my clothes?"

"Drying."

"Don't you have clothes to lend me?"

Gan Ning had to grin at that question. "I like to see you naked."

Ling Tong muttered something along the lines of "Pervert pirate."

"There's no need to wear clothes in my ship. Why am I wearing clothes?" Gan Ning stared down at his pants and started to take them off, until he stood naked in the rain. "My ship. My rules. No clothes."

"You're crazy." Ling Tong laughed.

Gan Ning laughed too. He felt himself being overwhelmed by pure happiness, standing there, in the middle of the seas, surrounded by water and graced by the sight of the embodied form of love he needed so much. He walked towards the young shivering man, fighting against the heavy wind and the pouring rain, making his way through the wet deck, until he could hold the young man tightly.

"You're wet!" Ling Tong cried out when he felt the slippery skin touching him. "And cold!"

"Then come warm me up." Gan Ning pressed himself more against Ling Tong, taking him in an inescapable expression of longing, embracing him in a tight hold of affection and taking his lips in a possessive display of need. Kissing Ling Tong was like conquering something that belonged to him, and yet drowning himself in his lover's warm body, giving himself completely. It was like hungering for his love and, at the same time, asking to be devoured by it.

Time seemed to stop existing, until they allowed it to run again, when they stopped the kissing and realized there was still a world around them.

"The wind is carrying us fast," Gan Ning said softly.

"How long until the next port?"

"Two or three days."

"Do we have food here?"

"I'm looking at it," Gan Ning stared mischievously at Ling Tong and bit his arm. "Wu officers taste good."

"Oh and what about a pirate?" Ling Tong bit him back. "Hmm... they tastes like salt..."

"They come with seasoning," Gan Ning grinned.

Ling Tong chuckled. "But seriously, do we have food stocked?"

"For some days."

"Clothes?"

"Really, I don't wear many clothes here and I don't think I have those things you like to wear."

"Pants?"

"Scarves."

"Oh, I really need to buy a new one, I forgot mine in Wu. Will it take long until we reach the next port?"

"I told you... in a few days... Don't worry, we'll get there sooner than you think."

xxx

The seagulls announced the approaching sight of the land. It was still a confusing shadow of forms in the distance, but it was definitely real. The wind carried the ship gently to the port in that orange afternoon. The weather was peaceful and kind in comparison to the moody tempest that accompanied them in the previous days.

They were standing at the deck, waiting for the new chapter of their lives. Slowly, the ship sought the company of others of her kind. Many brave wooden explorers were resting in the harbor, vessels of various types: the shy and silent, the big and proud, the daring and dangerous—all together, in harmony.

The first shouts of the seamen could be heard and the port stood with open arms. Gan Ning looked beside him, contemplating the young man that accompanied him.

"What?" Ling Tong arched an eyebrow in question.

"Ready?" Gan Ning pointed to the port with a slight move of his head.

Ling Tong smiled. "You bet."


	3. Chapter 3

**Word ****count:** 3,882

**A Home for a Pirate**

**Chapter 3**

"It's about time" Ling Tong stretched as he stepped off the ship. "I've been too long staring at water..."

It was relieving to be walking on something that didn't move constantly. The planks of the docks creaked under his feet and he could see a constant flow of men loading and unloading the ships.

He could see the market nearby the port. It was crowded and noisy as all such places should be. The colors danced in the air as the people moved around the place, that seemed to be covered by a golden dust whenever the wind played with the sand of the beach. It had no particular smell he could remember, but it smelled like everything, as if all the things in the world was there to be sold.

There he could watch many ways of bargaining, which included: pleading, whining and discussing, but the most popular choice was shouting—shouting until one side gave up. People were shouting, yelling and cursing everywhere, to the top of their lungs. But one could be fooled if they thought it was just a matter of voice's volume. It was an art... sort of... Ling Tong could have a good example of one of the practitioners of that art, right next to him.

"Are you trying to fool me, I won't pay you for that!" Gan Ning stared menacingly to the trembling merchant. "Do you know who I am?" He was trying the combined technique of shouting and intimidating.

The man didn't know who Gan Ning was, but he could tell the tattooed blond was much stronger than he was. Even so, he stood proudly and kept looking at the golden eyes. "I can't lower the price. But maybe... we could settle it for half, just for you, sir."

"I still think it's not worth it," Gan Ning turned his body to leave, trying the despising move.

"Sir, it's the best around here. You won't find it anywhere, You can look, but when you come back, there won't be more. I'm telling you, there won't be more for you!"

"You're lying!" Gan Ning shouted.

"I'm not lying!" The man shouted back.

Ling Tong kept looking from man to man, wondering for how long they would continue on that game. Gan Ning and the merchant locked gazes and the tension was almost palpable. If one looked to close, they could swear there was fire dancing in their eyes.

"A third," Gan Ning hissed.

"Half," the man insisted.

"Half the price, but I want the good thing you're hiding."

The man glimpsed at the room in the back of his store and contorted his face in a scowl. "Deal."

"And I want someone to carry it to my ship."

"For that I have to raise the price."

"Included in the price."

The man scowled again, but whispered softly, "Deal, sir."

Gan Ning grinned. "That's how I like it." He saw the man shouting at his employees as he instructed them to prepare the pirate's orders.

When everything was ready, the merchant called Gan Ning's attention, before he could leave, and showed a bright smile without some teeth. "Come again, sir!"

"So, was it a good deal?" Ling Tong asked when they left the store.

"It's worth more than we paid for," Gan Ning grinned in satisfaction. "That's why I like doing business here."

"Yeah, I see..." Ling Tong rolled his eyes. "Is there much more left to buy?"

"Some things, just in case we take longer in the sea. You know, the weather, things like that."

"The weather?" Ling Tong arched an eyebrow in question.

"Yeah... Why?" Gan Ning turned to the other general. "Do you think I'll keep you locked in the ship on purpose and..." He got near to Ling Tong and whispered in his ear. "...Tie you up to a mast and have my way with you? Do you think I'm planning on keeping you as a prisoner?"

"That won't be a surprise..."

"I'll think about something more creative then..." Gan Ning smirked.

Ling Tong felt a shiver down his spine, he was afraid of what could come up from a pirate's mind—a creative pirate's mind. "Hm... Why don't you buy the other things for the ship and I buy the clothes I need?" he tried to change the subject.

"Why do you think about clothes when all I think about is take them off of you?"

"Because I can't walk around naked everywhere."

"Yeah... you're right. I don't like to share the view..."

"So I'm gonna buy some clothes and you go shout more at people."

"Okay... but..." Gan Ning stared at Ling Tong. "Be careful."

"I know how to defend myself, you know, I'm an officer and all..."

"I'm just warning. You don't know how dangerous this place can be..."

xxx

Through the maze of colors and stores, Ling Tong walked, pretending he knew exactly where he was going. Never would he admit he felt lost in the middle of the sea of people. He could walk and walk, every time seeing something new, a new kind of fruit, a new shape of bread, a new scent of perfume. However, the streets and alleys looked the same, the same streets and alleys of a market he could find anywhere in the world. But still, it felt different, as if someone asked, he could say there was no other place like that.

What a strange feeling.

As he tried to accomplish his new mission, his shoulders felt light and he had the impression he was floating in a dream. That smoky noisy air felt like a new kind of freedom. He could even doubt he had seen so many battles, they were so far away.

So lost in thought he was, he didn't realize how he had reached a dark alley. Snapping out of his reverie, he saw a deserted place for once. He could even hear the small rocks rolling as he kicked them out of his way in his walking.

Like an island of colors in a sea of somber walls, a small store appeared in Ling Tong's view. Red, orange and blue fabrics waved in the air like flags. Close to the store's entrance, he could see large rolls of green and yellow resting against the walls. It seemed he had a chance of finding some decent clothes there, or at least he could talk with someone who could help him.

Ling Tong passed through a soft curtain to enter the place and found a quiet and exquisite room, that seemed to be made of soft fabrics.

"Hello?" Ling Tong tried to see if anyone was there.

For a long time, the place remained still, as if it weren't real, as if it were a painting. It took a while for another curtain to move and reveal a mysterious young woman. Dark eyes that seemed to have its origins in ancient times and a face that seemed to be carved in precious stone, she stood silent but attentive.

Ling Tong cleared his throat. "I need some clothes. Is there anyone to help me?"

The woman stared at him for some time, studying his features, until her hand pushed the curtain from where she had appeared. "Please, come inside," she said in a silky voice.

Ling Tong stared at the small porcelain doll of a woman and was a little apprehensive to follow her. There was something... slightly odd about the place. It was so different from the rest of the market. So delicate and quiet. Ling Tong stared again at the petite woman and thought he saw a small shadow of a smile in the corner of her lips. How foolish of him, there was nothing to be worried about. He smiled and pushed the soft curtain aside to be welcomed by... darkness.

xxx

The sun was high in the sky. The crowded place was so hot, the face of the people looked like they would melt. The sweat ran over the tanned skins, just before it steamed and made its way to the skies.

Gan Ning looked briefly at the sea line in the horizon and wished he could jump into the waters, but... he had a lot to do, so he decided to look for a fountain instead. If he wasn't mistaken, there was a place hidden after some corners and alleys. It was perfect, a small stream of water far from the sweaty crowd.

The liquid sparkled before his thirsty eyes. Gan Ning leaned in and took the pouring water into his hands, drinking greedily. He then threw water over his head, letting it fall over his face and shoulders.

After drinking some more water, he stood straight again and let his voice whip the silent place.

"I know you're there, stop following me." He put his hands over his hips and heard little sneaking sounds. With a grunt, he turned around and saw no one there. Rolling his eyes, Gan Ning headed back to the crowded streets.

Was it his impression or more people had popped out of nowhere into the market?

There was a very old man in front of him, blocking his way like a big ancient stone, walking with the speed of a dying turtle. And he seemed to be ever present. No matter how hard Gan Ning tried to change his way, the man was pushed by the walking crowd and put in front of the blond pirate again.

Gan Ning was trying to be patient, but it never seemed to be a strong point for any pirate. He was about to voice his dissatisfaction with the situation, when he felt something being taken from him. It wasn't long before he saw the little giggling demons sneaking their small bodies through the crowd.

"Hey! You can't run away from me!" Gan Ning pushed his body against the mass of people and ran after the little thieves, spreading his never ending stock of curses.

The older boy rushed through the streets with ease, knowing every part of the town like the palm of his hand. It was all like a big home, every corner, every wall. He felt like it was all his. It didn't take long before he reached a dark alley. He looked behind to see if that pirate had followed, but there was no sign of him. The boy grinned as he opened the small pouch, but he felt his heart boil in anger when he realized there were just small pebbles inside.

"Did you think I'd carry my money in display like that?" Gan Ning jumped in front of him. "I know you're there too, stop hiding."

Two other children appeared from the shadows after some reluctant seconds.

"Look, do you think you'll have a future stealing like that? You'll never be someone like me."

The boys stared at each other and laughed.

Gan Ning put his hands over his hips and asked in frustration, "Hey, do you know who I am?"

"Who are you?" The smaller boy asked.

"You're talking with the one and only Gan Ning."

The children stared at each other in confusion.

"Never heard of Gan Ning? I'm a great general of Wu" _was,__but__they__don__'__t__need__to__know__that_.

The older boy stared at the pirate suspiciously. "And why are you here?"

"Why aren't you rich?" the other boy asked.

Gan Ning scratched his head. "Because..."

"You're lying," the leader of the gang concluded.

"Because it's boring to live in a castle."

The younger children laughed, thinking it was a joke.

"You know, once I had parties in my homage and big banquets too, but... you know, once a pirate..."

"You look like a pirate," the younger boy said.

"I told you."

"But it means we'll never be other things because once thieves..." The other boy concluded.

Gan Ning scratched his head in thought again. "Look, you can change, you can be something else. It all depends on you. I've become a general, with soldiers following my orders and the enemy feared me in the battlefields..." He stared at the children to see if they were paying attention. "Do you see these bells? I carried them in battle for the enemy to know I was coming."

"Do you miss the war?"

"The war... no. I don't miss the war, I miss the great people who were there with me." Gan Ning's eyes seemed to be immersed in memories.

"Let's go," the leader said. "He's lying, he's only a crazy pirate talking nonsense"

"I think he's telling the truth..." other boy said.

The smaller boy stared at his angered leader and then at the funny man wearing bells. "I believe him."

"I don't care if he's telling the truth or not." The boy walked towards Gan Ning in proud steps, facing him with a stubborn ferocity. "He can't change our lives. No one will help us anyway," the leader of the boys said bitterly before turning his back and disappearing in the shadows of the alleys.

Gan Ning stared at the empty space left by the boy.

_Yeah, maybe not. You're on your own in this world, kid. _

"We... have to go..." the older of the two boys left, grabbed the thin fabric of the smaller one's shirt gently.

"Hey, wait." Gan Ning said softly. He put some coins on the boys' hands. "This is for listening to me. Now go." He saw the children smiling at each other and running away from his view. That money wouldn't change their lives and most likely they would spend the rest of their remaining time on Earth stealing until they were found dead one day.

Yeah, maybe he wasn't a hero after all. He couldn't save everyone. Looking back, what did he do in his life? He killed before the war and when he offered his services to Wu he... killed again. Just because he was on the victorious side didn't prove he was a good person. History books could describe his accomplishments in battles, portray him as a valorous warrior, but no one would know for sure what kind of man he truly was.

Gan Ning smiled slightly, imagining people telling stories about his life for centuries ahead. They would surely exaggerate and say things that never happened. But that was how he liked it. A hero, an enemy, a warrior. He could be everything. But at that moment, he thought he was just a busy pirate buying things for his ship. Gan Ning walked back in the direction of the market. He would have a long day before he could save his lover from whatever happened to him.

xxx

"A little dark in here, don't you think?" Ling Tong asked when he realized he couldn't see anything in the room.

"But I'm sure I left the window opened..." the woman trailed off, before realizing what would happen. "Oh no..."

Suddenly, sounds of steps reverberated through the room, just before Ling Tong felt something pulling at him. The woman ran desperately through the room and, still blinded by the darkness, tried to search for a nearby window.

Frail rays of light fought their way through the darkness, until it illuminated the place again. Ling Tong waited for his vision to return, before staring at three pairs of curious eyes.

"Surprise, new costumer!" The children cheered and smiled at him.

"Yeah... that was a surprise..." He scratched the back of his head and saw the small giggling bodies walk around the room.

"We have good things for you, sir," the older girl said. "What are you waiting for?" She looked at her brothers. "Move!"

A boy was bringing a chair bigger than him, making it scratch the floor as he pushed it. "Have a seat sir!" The boy saluted.

Ling Tong stared at the children, an then at the smiling woman and decided it wouldn't hurt him to sit.

A small girl came stumbling through the room and stopped in front of Ling Tong. She smiled and stretched her hands, putting a pink ribbon on the top of his head. "Pretty." She inspected the result of her work and was satisfied.

"This one's very good, sir," The boy dropped a cloak over Ling Tong's shoulder.

"No, that one's better." The older girl put a mantle over the young general's lap.

"Found another one!" The boy yelled excitedly and warped a large piece of fabric around Ling Tong's waist.

"okay, I think that's enough..." Ling Tong tried to plead, but the children didn't stop their 'work'.

The smaller girl came back with another ribbon and warped it in his long hair. "More pretty."

Then he heard a giggle and saw the smiling mother standing there. He pleaded with his eyes for her to save him and saw the woman's face become serious. "Okay, time to play in another place."

The children whined, but stopped torturing Ling Tong and went to another room.

"Forgive them." The woman helped the general out of the pile of fabrics. "They don't see many costumers here. All they see are those loud pirates, not a fine man like you..." She suddenly took his hand and stared deeply into his surprised eyes. "Please, marry me."

Ling Tong stared at the pleading face of the woman and blushed.

"I have this shop here for a while. We are not rich, but we live well, you can help me run it."

"Listen..." Ling Tong stood up and stared at the small woman. She was so beautiful. Why did those things never happen to him before? He always went after the girls and they always turned him down.

"The children need a father."

Ling Tong had considered having a family before. It seemed the right thing to do. One day he thought he would have a place to return after the battles. Warm embraces waiting for him. He would have boys and teach them to fight and be a honorable men, just like his father had done to him. And he would have daughters to brighten his days. His wife would be caring and sweet, but also passionate, a strong and loving woman. And they would live in a big house, happily ever after.

"I just leave you alone for a while and you're cheating on me already, Ling Tong?"

The woman stared wide eyed at the blond pirate and found it difficult to speak for a while. "Who are you?"

"I'm Gan Ning," he smirked. "And he's taken."

"I'm sorry!" The woman stopped holding the man's hand. "It was my fault, I didn't know he was... hm..."

"Hmm..." Ling Tong was feeling slightly uncomfortable at that situation. "Well... about those clothes..."

"Oh... sure..." She rushed inside another room and started to pick some items of clothing.

Gan Ning stared at the petite woman running from side to side of the small shop and whispered to Ling Tong. "I know she's quite a sight, but don't start the party without me like that."

"Stop staring at her ass!" the long-haired general hissed and smacked the back of the pirate's head.

"Ouch!" Gan Ning touched the place that had been hit. "I don't know why you're so angry... you know what ass I like the most..." He slid his other hand behind Ling Tong's back and squeezed said ass.

The young man blushed. "Stop that."

The woman cleared her throat and came back with the clothes, slightly ashamed. "Hm... here are... do you... want me to..."

"No, it's fine, we're gonna buy them," Ling Tong said.

"And those things you wear..." Gan Ning looked at his lover. "A scarf, do you have one?" he asked the woman.

"Sure..."

As soon as she started rummaging through some shelves, Gan Ning found the opportunity to attack Ling Tong's earlobe with his mouth.

"Do you have a preference in color?" the woman asked, with her back still turned to them.

"Any will do," Ling Tong told her carefully as he tried to hold back a moan.

"This one will look good on you." As soon as she turned, Gan Ning moved away, stared innocently at the ceiling and pretended he was doing nothing.

"Oh, nice." Ling Tong walked towards her direction and took the scarf in hand. It had a golden color with some dragons embroidered in red. The fabric was very soft and good to the touch. "I'll buy this one."

"Let me see it first." Gan Ning took the scarf in hands. "It doesn't seem very strong..."

"It doesn't need to be..." Ling Tong took the scarf back.

"Of course it does, how will I tie you up?

The brunet blushed. "It's not the purpose of it..." he hissed.

"No? I thought it was, why someone would buy something like that? To put around their neck?"

"Oh, it's stronger than it looks," the woman interrupted. "I used to tie my husband when he was still here..."

"And where is he?" Gan Ning asked tactless.

Ling Tong hit the pirate's side with his elbow. "Okay... let's go," He left a good amount of money on the counter and picked the clothes. "Thank you," he smiled to the woman.

"You're welcome," she smiled back.

"Thanks," Gan Ning smiled too. "And sorry about your husband."

"Please, don't be sorry for me," The woman seemed to be lost in thought for a moment, before she narrowed her eyes darkly. "Be sorry for him. That pirate will learn a lesson when he come back..." She grabbed a hidden whip from a shelf. "He will learn to stop running away from me in that ship..."

"Please, do this," Ling Tong grinned.

Gan Ning cleared his throat, "Well, let's go." He walked quickly towards the exit, before that woman gave Ling Tong some ideas...

xxx

The sun was shining lazily over the horizon, tired from the long day. The market was being left behind as they walked towards the port.

"How did you know I was in that shop?" Ling Tong asked.

"It was the only place you could find something better than those rags people around him wear. I know this place like the palm of my hand. I've been here many times..." Gan Ning trailed off before stopping suddenly.

"Something wrong?" Ling Tong asked.

"I can't forget something important."

"What is it?"

"Go to the ship, I'll meet you there." Gan Ning turned and took a step in the direction of the town. "I need to buy booze, we're almost out of stock, and I'd rather go without food than without something to drink."

"Hm... okay." Ling Tong was a little unsure.

"I'll just go to my friend's bar and come back." He kissed the brunet's shoulder before turning towards the town again. "Don't miss me too much."

Ling Tong saw the blond running back to the place they had been and decided he should take the clothes he bought to the ship and wait... What more could he do? He reached their ship and put everything in place... he could see the sun was leaving the sky and the beginning of a night was replacing it.

Gan Ning and a bar...

Should he really wait for the pirate to come back?

x

x

x

x

**A/N:** I was a little nervous about this chapter, because some things in the text were confusing me. Forgive me if there's something wrong, English is not my first language, so...

This chapter was really fun to write. It was getting too long, so I decided I had to stop and continue in another chapter. This is happening a lot in my stories lately. I'm writing and then I start to think the chapter will never end and I realize it's getting too long.

Well, I have to thank the ones who had reviewed: **Unending****Shadows****, ****tsukiko3000, ****IgNighted, ****NekoKitty933, ****Nan****Ma** and **Animelover6000**. You all make me so happy to know you're enjoying this story. I'm trying to do my best ^^ And I'll try to add some Sun Quan & Lu Xun as suggested, maybe not in the next chapter, but they will certainly come back to the story.

Is it my impression or I'm seeing less DW yaoi fanfics out there? I thought I saw more updates some time ago. Well, I've been sick and busy with some things, that's why I've been away from here for some time, but I got this impresssion there are not many yaoi fics being posted or updated lately. I hope people are not disappearing xD

See you in the next chapter!


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** This chapter is a little longer because... there's **smut ahead** xD I hope it's not a problem.

**Word Count:** 5,100

**A Home For a Pirate**

**Chapter 4**

Gan Ning ran through the streets, glad there were less people around with the night approaching. The hot burning air from the afternoon was being slowly replaced by a soothing breeze. It didn't take long for him to spot the bar he used to go. It was the nearest to the port. The night was still young and the place was already filled with the drunk costumers.

As soon as Gan Ning entered, he felt the welcoming scent of alcohol. It was a warm feeling that filled his heart, like a mother's loving embrace to its son. It was something like coming home—he thought—if he had a home.

"It's been a long time..." he heard a familiar feminine voice. And then he felt a very strong and sweet perfume emanating from a warm body nearby. The hot skin brushed against his side and made his heart beat faster.

"Where have you been, Xingba?" another voice was heard, before the pirate felt someone hooking an arm around his.

Gan Ning looked from side to side and recognized the faces of two women he knew... from his past. A blonde and a brunette. They were wearing tight provocative clothes and he also had a good sight of their cleavage. He smiled foolishly as he realized the dresses were barely covering their generous breasts and he felt the temperature rising.

"Xingba was busy," he couldn't help but slipping his arms around their waists, pulling their bodies closer. "Did you miss me?"

"Much..." he felt soft lips kissing his tattooed arm and grinned foolishly again.

"Will you stay for the night?" the blonde rested her head on the crook of his neck and slid a hand over his chest.

Gan Ning became serious again. "I'm sorry girls, Xingba has other plans... Look, I need those precious things in the cellar to stock for my journey."

"Stay here a little and have a drink..." the blonde woman on his right took his hand and guided him to a table. "It's on the house."

It sounded tempting, but "Really, girls, I gotta go."

They made an exaggerated sad expression, but accompanied him towards the cellar.

xxx

Ling Tong knew where to look for Gan Ning, he just had to find the loudest bar in town and it wasn't a difficult task. The noise from the drinking men was almost deafening when he entered. The place smelled like drunken pirates and whores, oh how lovely. He looked around and thought it would take forever until he found Gan Ning in the middle of that crowd, but it didn't take too long. Ling Tong spotted a blond mane not too far, walking in the direction of a dark place... disappearing in the room with two scarcely dressed women.

_Oh then, that was what you wanted to do? _

The general felt the blood boiling in his veins and his hand curled into a fist.

_What? I'm not enough for him then. _

_Why he makes me think I'm so special? Is it all a game to him? _

Ling Tong took a deep breath and decided to follow Gan Ning, he wouldn't let that pirate play with him. He walked through the bar angrily, bumping into another person before he could prevent it. Ling Tong tried to keep walking, but someone grabbed him by the arm. He turned to look at the person and saw a big man glaring at him. His eyes were burning with rage and his muscles seemed to twitch in anger. Ling Tong wasn't the least bit afraid of the giant and pulled his arm out of his grasp. He tried to walk further into the bar, but the large man stood in front of him.

"Stop standing in the way," the general hissed.

The brute bumped his large shoulder against the officer's before walking around him menacingly. "Who do you think you are? I've never saw you here" He leaned over, his face just mere inches away from Ling Tong's and stared directly into his eyes. "You're not welcomed here," he said dangerously.

"It's a bar, anyone can come in."

"No," The big man poked Ling Tong's chest with his large finger. "You're not welcomed here. Get out!"

"Stop!"

Both of them looked towards a third person who had come into their... conversation. It was a girl, different from the others who used to work there. Her hair was neatly in place and her clothes actually covered good part of her body.

"He's with me," the girl said before hooking her arm around Ling Tong's. "Let's go," she said in determination.

The Wu officer looked at the woman in confusion, but decided to follow her.

"Everyone's like that in here..." she whispered after they left the large man behind. "It's like a rule to be like wild animals."

Ling Tong's anger died down as he walked with his savior."Er... thanks for taking me out of there."

The girl looked at him. "You don't seem the type who comes here. What are you doing in a place like that? Are you lost?"

"I..."

_I was dragged here by a stupid pirate. _

"I don't know anymore..." He looked around, confused, without knowing what he should do.

"Come here," the girl led him to a table. "I'll get you something to drink."

"You don't need to..." Ling Tong trailed off as the girl went after some drinks. He thought of going after Gan Ning, but deep inside, he was afraid of what he would see. The general was sure he woulnd't like it... and maybe it was too late. Sighing deeply, he decided to stay. He looked around and realized the table he was sitting was the only one without a large group of men gathered around. But he didn't have much time to pay attention to it when the nice girl came back with a bottle.

"Here... I'll serve you."

"Thanks," Ling Tong smiled slightly when he grabbed his drink. He swallowed the liquid greedily, being grateful for the dizziness it brought. His vision swirled a little and he was glad to forget about his worries for a moment.

As soon as he finished the first cup, he realized it had been filled again.

And then again.

And some time after he couldn't count anymore.

"I think you had enough," the girl finally said.

"Please... just a little more..." Ling Tong's hand went after the bottle, that moved away when the girl pulled it out of his reach.

"I told you." She put a hand on his face and made him look at her. "You had a little bit too much," the girl giggled.

"Pleaseee..."

She looked deeply into his warm eyes and brushed a longer lock out of his face, before caressing his cheek. "You're handsome."

Ling Tong blushed, the girl talking to him was so pretty. He looked at her and... Would something stop him? Where was a certain pirate who brought him to that place? Oh, he was somewhere else with some girls.

_Why should I care? _

Gan Ning was carrying heavy crates through the bar when he almost dropped them to the ground. He saw a person he knew very well at a table with... what was that? A girl?

_Again? _

He left the crates at the counter and walked towards the table to make Ling Tong explain himself, but someone beat him to it.

A strong man had grabbed the long-haired officer by his collar and lifted him off the chair. "What do you think you're doing?" he asked dangerously.

"I..." Ling Tong could tell he was a little intimidated by the angry stare of the man. He wasn't like that giant he met before. That man was a little smaller than the other one, but had a dangerous aura dancing behind his infuriated eyes.

"Stop, brother, you're hurting him!" the girl yelled.

"What were you doing with her?" the man gripped Ling Tong's neck and made him choke as he tried to free himself. It was then he felt the grip around him loose suddenly, making him stumble and almost fall the the floor.

"Hey, stop! He's with me!" Gan Ning had grabbed the man from behind, making him let Ling Tong go.

The man looked at the blond pirate and tried to recover from his confusion. "Is it true?"

"Yeah."

"You should tell your friend he can't go after my sister."

"Hey... I wasn't..." Ling Tong tried to explain himself, before he had been cut off.

"I invited him for a drink," the girl said boldly.

"What are you doing here? I told you to stay home!" the brother said.

"Always staying home! Do you think I like staying home while you have fun?"

"It's not fun! It's my work!"

"I'm big enough to know what I'm doing."

"Don't you know how these guys around here are? All they want is to take advantage of you."

"But I..." Ling Tong tried to explain himself again but the siblings just kept arguing and ignored him.

"Come here."

Ling Tong felt an arm around his shoulder and found himself being guided to another place. Gan Ning led him to a reserved room and after they were alone, he stared deeply at him..

"Can you tell me what are you doing here? I told you to stay at the ship."

Ling Tong looked away and frowned. "Yeah, I know why you wanted me away from you... I don't know why you even bothered to bring me here with you..."

"What are you talking about?" he grabbed Ling Tong's arm.

"You know what, stop lying to me."

Gan Ning was so confused he didn't know what to do. "Ling Tong, what's wrong with you?"

"Why don't you stay with them? Why are you here with me?"

"With them?" Gan Ning tried to understand what Ling Tong meant. He kept thinking about the reason for his lover's anger until he came up with a guessing. "What? The girls?"

"Yeah... them."

Gan Ning looked at the pissed off expression on Ling Tong's face and chuckled. "They were just helping me with the booze."

"And other things too."

"Aw... you're jealous of me..." Gan Ning laughed.

"Stop being like that!" Ling Tong was infuriated by the pirate's attitude. "Stop making a fool of me, I'm not here to be played with... I'd rather stay in Wu. I wish I stayed in Wu and never saw you again."

That made Gan Ning stop laughing and his expression became serious. "Do you really think so?"

Ling Tong finally looked at the blond pirate and found a sad expression on his face. Even though his heart wrenched for seeing his lover like that, he couldn't help but wanting to make him pay for how he felt before. And a simple "Yes" was enough to do the damage he wanted.

Gan Ning heard the answer and turned his face, avoiding the brunet's gaze. He remained silent for a moment, as the word pierced his heart. Gan Ning exhaled the air he was holding in his lungs slowly and then took a deep breath, as he tried to remember how to speak again. "Let's go back to the ship. I'll bring you home," he finally said, taking a step towards the door's direction.

Ling Tong moved quickly and grabbed the blond by the wrist. "Wait..." he saw the man stopping and he took this opportunity to warp his arms around his torso from behind. "I didn't mean it, I'm sorry," he whispered over the trembling skin.

Gan Ning was a little relieved to hear that, but he still felt hurt, like there were still some thorns stuck in his heart. "But you still don't trust me."

"What do you mean?" Ling Tong pressed his face to Gan Ning's shoulder.

"You don't trust me when I tell you I'm not cheating on you."

Ling Tong lifted his head from the blond's shoulder. "It's not easy to trust you when I see you getting in a room with whores."

Gan Ning turned and looked at Ling Tong. "But I told you, they were just helping me! I know them for a long time, they're just friends!"

Ling Tong laughed darkly. "Gan Ning, don't fool me, I know what you do with your 'friends'."

"I told you, they were just helping me there! I didn't do anything with them!"

"You did one day."

"A long time ago. And not only them. Look, I have a past, I know you have one too, don't pretend you are a saint, because you are not one."

"I've never said that."

"You make it seem like I'm guilty for something I've never done."

"Really?"

"Yeah..." Gan Ning warped his arms around Ling Tong's waist and hugged him. "Don't do this to me again..." he buried his face on his lover's shoulder. "Don't make me think I lost you... I can't bear the thought."

Ling Tong was at a loss for words, overwhelmed by the warmth of the arms around him. He could only hold him back, caressing the blond locks laying on his shoulders, wishing it could soothe the pain. "It's okay," he whispered over Gan Ning's ear. "I'm here now, ain't I?"

"Yeah..." Finally, Gan Ning was able to lift his head and stare at Ling Tong again. "I don't know why we're fighting like that when we should be doing other things to each other."

"What kind of things?" Ling Tong pretended innocence.

Gan Ning grinned. "You know what."

Ling Tong smiled seductively and put his hands over the pirate's shoulders, pulling forward slowly... until he pushed him far away abruptly, making the blond pirate lose his balance and almost fall to the floor.

"What was that for?" the blond pirate yelled in frustration and looked back to see an uncomfortable expression on Ling Tong's face.

"There you are!" A deep voice echoed through the room. "Gan Ning, everything's explained." The owner of the bar walked through the room in large and heavy steps and patted the blond's back in a friendly way. "Come here and have a drink." The man put an arm around Gan Ning's shoulder and led him back to the main hall of the bar. "Your friend too." He glanced at Ling Tong and whispered in the blond's year. "You know, that thing out there, I was just showing the people around not to mess with my sister. I didn't mean no harm to your friend... And, between me and you, he couldn't do much harm to my sister by the looks of him."

Gan Ning looked at the bar's owner and they laughed, leaving a confused Ling Tong behind. The Wu officer crossed his arms around his chest and frowned as the friends walked ahead of him. Back to the noisy place, Gan Ning and Ling Tong were led to a special table and served drinks.

"So what were you two talking about?" the long-haired officer tried to sound nonchalant.

The blond pirate just smirked.

"So you're not gonna tell me?" Ling Tong seemed a little annoyed.

"He was just apologizing. You know, he owns me. I helped him when some guys were messing around here. He wouldn't do anything to you if he knew you were my friend." Gan Ning put a hand on the small of Ling Tong's back as he emphasized the word.

"And why didn't he apologize to me? It's not fun when someone's trying to strangle you... At least I got more free drinks..."

"That's the spirit!" Gan Ning grinned and patted Ling Tong's shoulder, before taking a sip of his drink. The blond pirate was having a good time again. A bar always made him feel better. It was something about the warm atmosphere, the cheerful mood. There was always something interesting to see and it wasn't different that night. He observed a man of the seas approach a table nearby: tanned skin, unruly dark hair, thin like a rope, he sat beside them and Gan Ning could tell there was a gleam in the man's eyes.

"What a surprise, I didn't know you were around here!" the man said rather loudly.

"We heard we could do some good business here," a bearded man with a rough voice answered.

"Very good business!" a small man said excitedly as he lifted his cup.

"I thought you were here because of _The Island_," the newcomer said. "Won't you try the hunt this year?"

"Nah..." The bearded man started. "I tried it last year, but all we found was that thick fog."

"Wait..." a bald man—who had been silently observing the conversation—made his deep voice be heard.. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't you know the treasure of the hidden island in these seas?" The unruly-haired man asked. Seeing a negative shrug, he showed a smile and saw a great opportunity to tell a story. "A long time ago, there was a king traveling with his family through the seas of this region, but little did he know that a fearsome pirate was around here at the same time. The pirate saw the great opportunity of his life when he heard of the king's ship and he attacked. They didn't see the pirate ship coming near with all the fog and then it was too late. The pirate took all the gold and jewels and slayed the king's children standing on his way. The king could escape with the help of his loyal men and sworn revenge. But the pirate knew this waters very well and could hide the treasure in an island hidden by the fog. Knowing of the way the pirate had taken, but unable to find him, the king summoned a powerful sorcerer. The king couldn't find the island, but the sorcerer placed a curse on the pirate and his men. So the captain and his crew were never seen again."

"Some say they had escaped," the bearded man commented. "But other claim they never left the island."

"Many men tried to search for the treasure," the other man continued. "Some of them never could land on the island, lost in the fog. Others had found the place, but never came back."

"And why do you know they really found that island? How do you know the island really existed?" the bald man asked with incredulity.

The dark-haired man eyed him with determination. "One day, one of my ancestors was part of the crew of a man who had been an officer under the king's command. They had found the place during the summer solstice, the only period of time the fog around the island isn't so thick. The ex-officer insisted for his men to go, but part of the crew was afraid. So he left them waiting on the ship until they came back with the treasure... but they never returned."

Ling Tong had been paying attention to the group of men Gan Ning was observing, so he was caught by surprise when a pair of breasts appeared next to him. He looked at the woman in surprise and recognize her as one of Gan Ning's _friends_ from before. She pressed her body to his side and almost sat on his lap. Ling Tong gulped and stared at Gan Ning for help, but he saw another woman at the blond's side.

"So here you are, Xingba..." the prostitute purred in an overly-affectionate voice that made Ling Tong clench his fist.

He tried to control himself and only forgot about the woman at Gan Ning's side when the one at his side caressed his shoulder.

"What do you think about sharing your friend, Xingba?" the dark-haired wonder at Ling Tong's side asked.

Gan Ning stared at the woman tracing his lover's cheek with her long nails. "Did you like him?"

"Yeah..." She eyed Ling Tong.

"I like him too." Gan Ning put an arm around the officer's shoulders and looked at him.

"Aw that's why you didn't want to stay with us?" the blond prostitute at the pirate's side asked.

"He's possessive, what can I do? He loves me too much." Gan Ning kept staring at Ling Tong, who stared at a random point at the bar, pretending he wasn't hearing the conversation.

"How romantic..." the other woman giggled.

"So... I think it's time to go now." Ling Tong stood up abruptly.

The women giggled more.

"Have a good time together!" they said when they saw the two men leaving the place, waving playfully to the pair.

"We always do." Gan Ning looked back and winked at them.

They picked the heavy crates that had been waiting for the pirate and left the bar.

"Your friends are impossible," Ling Tong said in annoyance.

"I like them. The girls are good people, they are fun."

"Don't make me think too much about the fun part."

"I've never thought you'd be so jealous of me," Gan Ning grinned.

"I'm not... I'm just..." Ling Tong frowned. "I'm not jealous."

"Okay..." Gan Ning chuckled.

The streets were a lot less crowded than before. There were some people walking around, but one could walk freely without bumping into someone. The weather was very generous that night, there were no clouds in the sky and the stars smiled at the world. The full moon was shining over the sea waters, creating a shimmering distorted reflection of silver.

A gentle breeze caressed their skins as they walked towards the docks. It was much more silent than before, most of the men were at the bars or taking naps in their ships. They could even hear their footsteps as they reached the wooden planks of the pier.

They finally reached their ship and stocked their alcoholic treasure in a safe place.

"I hope it lasts," Gan Ning prayed before the bottles.

"Yeah... Let's hope it will last..." Ling Tong whispered as he caressed the bottles.

Gan Ning stared at his lover. "Let's go now?"

"Now...? How long until we reach the island?"

"A week, maybe more."

"Let's go for a walk, I think I deserve it before the only thing I see is water everywhere. We can travel tomorrow morning."

Gan Ning nodded and followed Ling Tong out of the ship. They could only hear distant voices as they walked through the deserted docks.

"It's strange to see it like this," the blond pirate said.

"What do you mean?"

"This quiet."

"It's getting late..." Ling Tong looked at the dark shadows of the forest spying the sparkling lights of the town. And behind the trees, there was a majestic sky that seemed to touch the seas at a point in the horizon. "It's a beautiful place."

Gan Ning looked around. "You're right."

Ling Tong sat at the pier and stared at the gentle dark waves. It didn't take long before he heard the sounds of a pirate sitting behind him and warping his arms around his waist.

"Don't you think someone can see us like that?" Ling Tong asked.

"There's no one here..." Gan Ning whispered before pressing his face to his lover's shoulder gently.

Ling Tong sighed, feeling his body being enveloped by that familiar warmth. It was good. It was good to be there, just watching the landscape, just letting his blond pirate press their bodies together.

"Hm... Ling Tong?" Gan Ning asked softly.

"What?"

"You know what I've been thinking?"

"We can't do this here... Someone can walk in at any moment..."

Gan Ning chuckled behind his lover. "It isn't sex, for once."

"No?" Ling Tong turned his head to look at the blond. "Do you think about other things too?" he asked jokingly.

"I was actually thinking about searching for that treasure."

"In that foggy island or something like that? Do you really believe in that story?"

"There's only one way to know for sure."

"It's just a seamen's tale."

"The island is not far from here. I've never searched for this treasure before because I was never here at the right time... But now..."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah. Why not? This island is on our way to _My Island_."

"_Your Island_?" Ling Tong teased.

"My Island until someone can prove otherwise."

"Yeah... right."

"Can we go after the treasure?" Gan Ning pleaded with his golden gaze.

"No."

"Why not?"

"You told me you didn't care about money."

"I don't care, it's just for the fun."

"And what will you do once you find this treasure? If there is any."

"I... I'll put it somewhere. I can buy booze... Or... I can donate it when we go back to Wu. You'll like it, helping the orphans of war and things like that."

"I don't know..." Ling Tong stared down at the planks in thought.

"Come on... Do I have to convince you?" Gan Ning lowered his hand down Ling Tong's crotch, kneading the volume until he heard a soft moan. "Do you like it?" he whispered before nipping at his lover's earlobe.

"Hmm... I don't know... You have to convince me more..."

Gan Ning chuckled before finding his way inside Ling Tong's pants and freeing his organ. Soon, he was moving a warm hand over the length repeatedly, until the long-haired officer was panting softly. Gan Ning grinned as he felt he was succeeding on his intent and he felt the urge to be closer to Ling Tong, so he pressed his chest to his lover's back. He could feel his own member stirring in his pants and he started to rub himself against the warm body.

Ling Tong felt the hardening organ pressing against his backside and couldn't help but feel more turned on. Then he felt Gan Ning moving behind him, changing their positions slightly, so he almost ended up sitting on his lap as the blond kneeled. Ling Tong could feel the shape of the organ as if it weren't enclosed in the blonde's pants. He could also feel the constant puffs of hot air over his neck as the pirate rubbed himself against him harder.

The young officer felt his body grow hotter and hotter and he blamed that pirate for making him shudder and moan, as the experienced fingers traced all the sensitive spots. He started to feel light-headed as the pleasure became to much for him. Ling Tong let out a choked groan as the hand guided him to an overwhelming orgasm, and soon he was coming profusely over the planks. He lost the ability to think for a while, as he recovered from his high and it took some time until he realized Gan Ning was talking to him.

"Ling Tong?"

"Hm...?" It was all the general could say as he slowly turned to face the pirate.

"Convinced?"

"Of what?" Ling Tong eyed him with a confused expression.

Gan Ning chuckled. "Was it that good you forgot?"

"No..." He frowned.

The blond grinned. "You did."

Ling Tong looked at Gan Ning in annoyance. "Just shut up."

"Make me," the pirate stared him defiantly as he leaned back on some crates.

The long-haired officer narrowed his eyes and accepted the challenge. He crawled over him and inched his face closer, staring deeply at his eyes, making their gazes lock. They could feel each other's breath and their lips were so close they almost brushed. For some time they just kept looking at each other, waiting to see who would give in first.

Gan Ning's expression softened the more he looked at the warm brown eyes. Then he looked down at the inviting lips, he never could resist for long. He leaned forward to take them, but he only felt the night air, as Ling Tong moved his face away. The blond stared at his lover with a confused expression and he received a smirk in return. He was about to say something, when Ling Tong quickly lowered the waistband of his pants, until his hard organ greeted the night. The brunet positioned himself between his spread legs and returned his earlier favor. Gan Ning stared deeply into Ling Tong's eyes, as he moved his hand over him, slowly and teasingly.

The pirate's chest started to rise and fall faster as the rhythm increased and he couldn't hold back the sounds of pleasure from escaping his mouth. Ling Tong could tell by the deep moans the amount of pleasure Gan Ning was feeling. The brunet grinned as he felt the organ in his hand responding so nicely at every move. He knew Gan Ning was close, so he lowered his head, until his lips were mere inches away from the hard cock. He looked at the leaking trail of pre-cum, before locking his gaze to Gan Ning's once more. Ling Tong made sure the blond was looking intently at him, before licking the underside of the head. He kept doing it, until he flickered his tongue over the slit and locked his gaze to the blond's once again. Gan Ning's eyes were filled with such lust that Ling Tong shuddered at the stare. The pirate took his own cock in hand and grabbed the officer's ponytail with the other, pulling it backwards. Ling Tong had to tilt his head at the movement and soon he felt the pirate's seed reach his face, sliding down his cheek and lips.

"Open your mouth," the lust-filled command followed soon.

Ling Tong parted his lips and Gan Ning shoot the rest of his load into his mouth. The young officer waited for it to stop, until he searched for the pirate's gaze again, making sure he saw him swallow.

"That's all you have to give?" Ling Tong asked.

Gan Ning stared at him and chuckled softly at the sight. He slid a finger over Ling Tong's cheek and lips, then guiding it to his mouth to suck it.

"Hmm... I taste good, that's why you like it so much," Gan Ning said playfully. He took more of his come from Ling Tong's cheek, before leaning forward to take the rest of it. The pirate cupped his lover's head with his hands, licking his face clean, brushing his lips over the brunet's cheeks softly in the process.

Ling Tong closed his eyes as he accepted the caress, humming as he felt the blond's hot breath over his skin. Soon he felt a warm mouth meet his in a heartfelt kiss. They forgot about the world for a while, until they were reminded of it when drunken laughter approached. They moved away from each other quickly and tried to recompose themselves instinctively. A group of drunken men passed by them as the officers went back in the direction of their ship.

"I told you someone could walk in on us..." Ling Tong crossed his arms over his chest.

"At least they came after we finished..."

"Are we finished yet?" the brunet looked at Gan Ning.

The pirate stopped his walking for a moment and stared back. "Not if you give me more ideas of what we could do this night."

"Do I really need to give you ideas?" Ling Tong arched one eyebrow in question.

Gan Ning grinned. "Not really."

x

x

**A/N: LadyKatatonic, Animelover6000** and **tsukiko3000**, thank you for the reviews in the last chapter, I always love them! I thought the Ma Chao x Ma Dai was very hot, **LadyKatatonic**, it was nice to read the story ^^ I like the pairing and I was dying to read something with them. For those who were waiting, I plan to bring Sun Quan and Lu Xun back to the story in the next chapter ^^

Now, you don't need to keep reading this note, but there's just this something I wanted to talk about. I'm getting a nice feedback in this story, people are telling me what they think about the chapters and I think it's very good to know the things I'm doing that are working, I feel people are encouraging me to keep going. When time allows it, I'm a reader too. I like to see what people are writing and I give feedback to the authors, I like to support their work and tell them if they did something I liked. Sometimes I say what I think that could be improved if needed, for the authors' development. But I feel a little lonely, because there are few yaoi fics here and sometimes I'm the only one or one of the few ones reviewing. I fear the few authors who are still writing yaoi might disappear one day, because of lack of support and feedback. So if you have the time, tell the authors that you liked their story, I'm sure they'll be happy and feel the motivation to write more. And if you think of criticizing a story, be kind, and tell them what could be improved in a gentle way. The authors here don't receive any money and they have to work or study too, so it may not be that easy to concentrate on just writing, so most stories aren't perfect. I'm sorry if you think this note is useless, please, just ignore it then. But I still hope someone will understand my point here.

Thank you so much for reading.


	5. Chapter 5

**Word count:** 3,955

* * *

><p><strong>A Home for a Pirate<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 5<strong>

Sun Quan was waiting in the conference room with a concerned expression shadowing his face. The place was filled with a grave silence, as the important matter troubled the young sovereign's head. One of his most trusted officers—known for his legendary courage, his great sense of honor and unmatched... laziness—had gone missing and an investigation team had been created to gather information about the case.

The young lord's eyes were glued to the doors, until they opened and revealed the leader and the second in command of the investigation team, followed by some of their men.

"So what did you find out?" Sun Quan asked.

"We searched for him everywhere, we looked above his bed, under his bed, beside his bed, but general Ling Tong was nowhere to be found in his room..." the leader of the team made a dramatic pause before continuing. "We fear the worst."

"And what is it?" Sun Quan asked in concern.

"That he has gone missing," the officer said gravely.

Sun Quan blinked a few times and scratched the back of his head. "But I thought that was what we concluded from the beginning."

The officers looked at each other in confusion until the leader's voice was heard. "Of course, it was, my lord," he said respectfully.

"Have you searched somewhere outside his room?" Lu Xun asked cleverly.

"That's a good idea, lord strategist!" The leader of the investigation team stood up from his kneeling position and waited for the others to do the same. "We're going to look for him."

The group left the conference room, after the men bowed before their lord several times.

"My lord," I'm sure we're going to find where Gongji is," Lu Xun said softly, trying to comfort Sun Quan.

"I hope so..." The young lord stared at the strategist warm eyes and felt it calm him a little. He studied Lu Xun's face, such strength behind the boyish features. His eyes shone with vivid determination and Sun Quan found himself getting lost once more in the warm aura that emanated from the boy whenever he was close to him.

"My lord!"

Sun Quan suddenly snapped out of his trance and stared at the investigation team that had come back. "Oh, that was fast!" he said. "Did you find out what happened?"

"We looked in the corridor of his room and in the ones around," the officer said proudly.

A moment of silence followed and only ended when Sun Quan's voice was heard again. "And that means...?"

"He wasn't there, my lord."

"But don't you think you have to look for him..." Sun Quan tried to find the right word. "...Better?"

"We did all we could, sir," the second in command said.

"Wait," said one of the wise advisors of the kingdom. "You said you looked for him above, under and beside his bed, but did you look behind it?"

The members of the investigation team stared at each other. "We're doing it right away, sir!"

The group left the conference room once more, leaving a speechless sovereign behind.

xxx

The ship had been sailing for several hours through the thick fog. All they could see around them was an omnipresent mass of white, as if they had been sailing through the clouds in the sky instead of the sea. Ling Tong was sitting on the wooden floor of the deck, observing Gan Ning. The blond pirate had been standing before the wheel for several hours, paying attention to the way they were going. Ling Tong yawned as he saw the almost immobile figure of the pirate, his back turned to him. The long-haired general didn't understand how Gan Ning could stay in that position for so long. As soon as Ling Tong had woken up, he felt that there wasn't a familiar body with him on the bed and later he found out that Gan Ning had already set sail to the mysterious island. He had found Gan Ning at the deck, talked to him briefly and decided to find something to do. However, he realized there was not much he could do in that ship, he couldn't even enjoy watching the waves dancing around the vessel as they made their way over the seas, with that thick fog limiting his vision. He had come back to the room and made the bed, then he checked their provisions, ate some, went back to the room and took a nap, then he woke up and checked on Gan Ning again... only to find him at the same place...

Ling Tong yawned again... he was so bored.

"Hey," he called the blond's attention. "When will we reach the island? Don't you think we should be there already? I thought you said it was close."

"We're getting closer, I can feel it."

"Gan Ning, it's been hours since we left the port and I can't see anything but this goddamn fog. Are we lost?"

Gan Ning turned briefly to look at Ling Tong. "Course not," then turned again to stare at the fog ahead. "Xingba never loses his way."

"Yeah, right..." Ling Tong said mockingly.

"I'm telling you, were almost there, I know the island is near."

Ling Tong sighed exasperated. He knew he couldn't take an idea off Gan Ning's head if he set his mind to it. "But why don't you leave the ship go in this direction. Do you really need to stand in this place all day?"

"I have to pay attention, this is dangerous area."

"I can't see any danger here. In fact, I can't see anything here, it's the same as staring at nothing." Ling Tong saw no reaction from Gan Ning, who stood in the same place, staring ahead. "Are you listening to me?" again, Ling Tong saw no reaction. He frowned deeply and stood angrily. "Fine then." He turned with the intention of getting inside the ship, but, suddenly, an idea came to his head.

He walked smoothly to the place were Gan Ning was standing and whispered in his ear, "Will you keep ignoring me?" he brushed some of the longer locks of blond hair aside to move his lips over the sensitive skin at the back of Gan Ning's neck. "Why don't you come inside with me?"

The blond pirate chuckled slightly at Ling Tongs attempt to seduce him. "Very tempting..." he felt the lips caressing the back of his neck and then moving slowly to the side, placing butterfly kisses over his skin. The sensation was so nice that Gan Ning felt like purring. It was then that Ling Tong's fingers traced the lines of the blond's chest, as he pressed his body to Gan Ning's.

"You're distracting me, you know..." the pirate tried to keep paying attention to the way the ship was going, but it was difficult with hands exploring his torso, warming his skin with the insistent caresses. "Ling Tong..." Gan Ning hissed warningly.

"What? Am I doing something wrong?" the general lowered his hand dangerously to cup the blond's member over his pants.

Gan Ning felt himself getting hard quickly with the insistent movement of Ling Tong's hand. He really fought to keep paying attention to the ship's direction, but he couldn't help but concentrate more on the sensations he was receiving. It was then something caught his attention. His hands turned the wheel abruptly, making the ship make a far from subtle move. The change of direction was so harsh that made the two men lose their balance and fall to the floor, one above the other.

Ling Tong hissed in pain as he knocked his head hard against the floor and to add to his discomfort, a pirate had landed on him.

As soon as Gan Ning could, he got up and ran to the bow's direction, to see if everything was all right.

Ling Tong tried to lift himself off the floor, but he felt a little dizzy still. "What was that for?" he asked, but received no response. He stared at Gan Ning in frustration before opening his eyes widely with the sight before him: a colossal wall of rocks passed by them as the ship continued in its new course. The barrier had been sculpted by the nature in a way that its shapes resembled enormous warriors made of stone, emerging from the seas, as if they were guarding the area. Ling Tong stood up and walked towards Gan Ning's direction. The pirate's gaze was fixed at the line of the enormous rocks. "How did it appear here?"

Gan Ning was still speechless.

"Man, I couldn't see it coming," Ling Tong stared in awe at the line of rocks.

Gan Ning turned to look at him in a disapproving manner. "That's why I told you I had to keep an eye on where we were going."

"Well, I was expecting it'd be easier to see something so big."

"It was almost too late for us to do anything... you don't know how lucky we are... We could've crashed." Gan Ning took the wheel firmly in his hands and tried to keep focus on the way. It seemed that fog wasn't so thick in that area and he could see a faint shadow of a form ahead. It was then that the shape of land appeared before his eyes, as if it were magic, an island seemed to have materialized from air.

"I can't believe it... is that really an island?" Ling Tong rubbed his eyes and then stared ahead again.

"Yeah, that's what it looks like."

Ling Tong stared at Gan Ning and expected him to be excited, but instead, he had a very serious expression on his face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Gan Ning said bluntly, making his way carefully to the island.

"You don't seem so happy to find the place you wanted so much..."

"It's just that I'm still trying to forget that we almost hit that rocks some time ago. But I'm glad I didn't end up as food for the fish, thanks to myself."

"What," Ling Tong put his hands on his hips and glared at Gan Ning. "Do you think it's my fault the rocks were there?"

"All I know is that we should be dead if I didn't realize they where there. We were this close to..."

Ling Tong rolled his eyes. "Fine, I know, it's my fault. I'm sorry."

"Yeah... right."

"Look," Ling Tong touched Gan Ning's shoulder. "I'm really sorry."

"I got it."

"But you're still angry at me."

"You bet." Gan Ning led the ship as close to the island as he could before turning again to look at Ling Tong. "But it will pass..." he then smirked slightly. "When I find a way to punish you for this."

"Oh no, I see you're having ideas... I don't know if I like it."

"I don't know if you'll like it, but I'll make sure I like it..."

"So, are we going to explore the island or something?" Ling Tong tried to change the subject.

"I'll make sure you'll pay for all you made me worry."

"Yeah... alright. We're going to the island or not?"

"Sure..." Gan Ning eyed Ling Tong with an intense gaze before smirking. "We're going right away." He turned and headed to the boat's direction to prepare it for them to reach the beach.

xxx

"Do you want something to eat, my lord?" Lu Xun asked in concern. It was almost lunch time, but Sun Quan was still in the conference room.

"Thank you for your concern, Boyan, but I'm not hungry."

"As you wish, my lord," Lu Xun said softly.

"You know you don't need to be so formal when we are alone."

"But, my lord, I do this because I respect you so much. I think that when we are in private is where we can prove that we really respect someone. It's not for the protocol, it's not for the appearances. I really respect you, my lord."

Sun Quan smiled warmly for hearing that. "I appreciate your intentions, but I think that some formalities create distance between people... and I don't want to be distant from you."

Lu Xun walked through the room as he pondered upon what he heard. "But we have to keep a distance..." he concluded. "You're my lord and I am your servant."

Sun Quan stood and walked towards Lu Xun's direction with careful steps. "But you're not just a subordinate for me. You're much more..."

Lu Xun turned to look at Sun Quan directly, but he heard some steps approaching and he quickly turned his gaze to the door's direction. He saw the investigation team coming back, but he was still thinking about a gleam he seemed to have seen in Sun Quan's eyes.

"My lord, we are back," said the leader of the men.

"Did you find something new?"

"We found evidence that... we found evidence that..." the officer was a little uneasy to tell what he found out.

"Evidence of...?" Sun Quan asked.

"We found evidence that he had engaged in sexual activities in his room."

Sun Quan stared at them for a long time and didn't know exactly what to do with that piece of information. "But what does it mean?"

"That he has an active sexual life."

Sun Quan stared at them some more, wondering what he should think of that. "Well... that's a good thing, I guess."

"Yes, my lord, we think it's a good thing," the officer said as the others nodded, proud of their discovery.

"But... How does it solve the mystery of his disappearance?"

xxx

Even though they could see the place around, there was still some mysterious vestiges of the fog that hid the island for most part of the year. It was almost noon and they knew the sun must have been up in the sky, but all they could see was a faint golden light somewhere above the clouds. The impression they had was that even though there were colors in the island, the place seemed to be all gray. There was just that impression that everything was a little dark, but it was some kind of faded darkness, like everything was covered by a ghastly veil. The sand was thick and dark, as if it were a line of mud crowning the coast line. They could see a thick forest covering most part of the island, and behind it a thick mass of rocks.

Ling Tong looked around and frowned deeply. It was one of the ugliest places he had been—the atmosphere as inviting as a funeral. After a few steps, he already wanted to go back to the ship and forget he had been there. "Man, this place is so depressing..."

"Come on, you saw worst things..." Gan Ning tried to encourage Ling Tong.

"Like Lu Meng's face when he woke up after a drinking night."

Gan Ning chuckled. "See, it's not that bad."

"Lu Meng's face or the island?"

"The island, of course,"

Ling Tong couldn't help but chuckle. "Lu Meng would kill us if he could hear it."

"We're lucky he can't..."

They stared at each other for a moment, before the brunet spoke again.

"So... let's go back to the ship. We'll have lunch and then we can take a nap and then we can have a good time together..." Ling Tong winked and turned to the boat's direction.

"Wait there! Where do you think you're going?"

"To the ship."

"But we just got here!"

"Yeah... so?"

"We have to find the treasure."

"Treasure? Are you serious? Look around Gan Ning, this place is huge, it could be anywhere."

"But it was so difficult to get here, we have to give it a try before getting back."

"Oh, I know you, if you start searching for this treasure you won't stop until you find it... and it can take forever..."

"Look, Ling Tong, we just walk around some, explore the place, see if there's any clue, if we don't find anything, we go back, I promise."

"Do you really feel like exploring this oh so lovely place?"

Gan Ning nodded as if it was the most obvious thing.

"Fine... but if we don't find anything until the sunset, we'll get back, right?"

The blond pirate grinned and waited for Ling Tong to reach him, before leading the way through the woods.

xxx

They had been walking for some hours, but there was no sign a man had ever been there. All they could see was gloomy trees staring accusingly and moody swamps burping their complaints as they walked past them. The place was so devoid of life that it seemed that even the animals had ran away. There was no bird singing and even the bugs seemed to have abandoned the island.

"Gan Ning, I'm tired." Ling Tong said after boring hours of walking.

"We're almost there. I'm sure we'll find something soon."

"I hope this soon doesn't take long..."

"We'll find the treasure, you'll see, then you will thank me for bringing you here."

"Most probably we'll find nothing and I'll curse you all the way home."

"Hey, can you give me a little more incentive than that?"

"You'd better find something soon, so I won't kill you."

"More incentive."

"Uh..." Ling Tong scratched the back of his head in thought. "You'd better find something soon so we can go back and have sex?"

"That's better," Gan Ning turned again and kept walking.

Ling Tong rolled his eyes and followed Gan Ning... What more could he do?

xxx

Gan Ning was sure he found a new path when he heard a strangled cry. He turned back in worry and saw Ling Tong's body on the ground. His heart clenched in his chest as he ran towards him, crouching beside him. "What happened?" he asked in concern when he saw the pained face.

Ling Tong stared at the pirate's eyes and flinched a little, grabbing his ankle. "I think I sprained it..."

"Let me see it," Gan Ning touched Ling Tong's knee softly, asking for permission to move his hand lower.

Ling Tong gulped and took the blond's hand away. "No, it's better not to... let's just go back to the ship. I don't think I can go on any further."

Gan Ning stared deeply at Ling Tong's eyes and furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Wait, how did it happen?"

"Well, I... I tripped."

"You tripped?"

"Yeah, I tripped."

"An officer who crossed several battlefields just tripped in the woods?"

"Officers trip. I'm human, I do trip."

"Where?"

"Around here..."

"There's nothing here..."

"Yes, there is... there is... that rock." the brunet pointed at a general area.

"Ling Tong..." Gan Ning hissed.

"Fine," the brunet stood up and brushed the dirt off his clothes. "Okay, let's go." he started to walk again, without looking back at Gan Ning.

The blond pirate rolled his eyes. "So you thought you could fool me that easily?"

"Hm... yeah." Ling Tong kept walking.

Gan Ning started to walk again. "Do you really think I'd fall for something like that?"

"I had to try...and besides, you almost believed it."

"You said well, almost." Gan Ning walked past Ling Tong and started to lead the way again. "Besides, you got me worried for a moment..." the blond remembered Ling Tong's cry when he pretended he had fallen. Gan Ning couldn't help but feeling uneasy whenever he thought something happened to Ling Tong. It was a reflex from times of war, when he would run to Ling Tong's aid whenever he was in trouble. So he was always alert to everything that happened to him. He didn't want anything bad happening to the other warrior.

They walked some more and everything seemed the same, the ever present withering branches haunting them as they advanced through the woods.

Ling Tong looked around but saw nothing interesting since he arrived the place. "Gan Ning..."

"Hm... what?"

"I'm getting hungry, don't you think we should go back to eat?"

Gan Ning stopped and stared at Ling Tong for a while, then he retrieved something out of the satchel he had brought. "Here," he extended his hand and offered a bum to Ling Tong.

The long-haired general stared at the inviting piece of food and blinked a few times. "I... hm... I can't accept this." He handed the bum back. "It's yours, I don't have the right to eat your food."

"But I brought more. You see, I brought one for me and one for you."

Ling Tong was touched by Gan Ning's concern. The dark-haired officer didn't even bothered to think if they would need something, so unwilling he was to be exploring that place. "Save it for later, Gan Ning, in case we need it. I'm not so hungry right now." Ling Tong started to walk again, but was prevented from continuing when he felt Gan Ning holding his arm.

"Wait, look at me."

"Is there a problem?" Ling Tong turned slowly and stared at the shining golden orbs that were fixed on him.

"You don't really want to keep going, do you?" Gan Ning asked softly.

The dark-haired officer didn't answer right away, but, eventually, he had to tell the truth. "Not really."

Gan Ning stared at him for a while, before he spoke again. "Do you want to go back to the ship?"

"Yes, I do. But I know you'll keep searching this ugly place until you find something."

"You can go back if you want while I explore this place some more."

"But I want to be with you..." Ling Tong whispered softly. "You made me come here with you and I won't let you walk around here without me. If we go back, we go back together. If we go on... we go on together," he said with determination. "So let's go."

Gan Ning watched as Ling Tong walked with decided steps in the direction they had been taking. He couldn't help but smile at the sight. "Hey! wait for me!" he ran towards him through the woods.

"Hurry up!" Ling Tong looked back and smiled. "We need to find something until the sunset, remember?"

"Hey!" Gan Ning ran after his lover. "Ling Tong, stop!" he came to a halt when something caught his attention.

Ling Tong looked behind and saw that Gan Ning had stopped. He arched one eyebrow in question and walked back to where the other man was.

"What's up?"

The pirate pointed to a place. "I think I saw something." he walked towards what seemed to be a narrow path between some rocks. It didn't take long for him to find the entrance of a cave. "I know it's here."

Ling Tong looked inside and thought the place was a little too dark for his taste. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure those pirates were hiding something here." He took some steps inside. "Come on."

"But, Ning," Ling Tong followed the blond apprehensively. "Don't you think that if the pirates wanted to hide something, it would be in a place more... hidden?"

"This must be their den, they must have brought it here and were deciding what to do... Well, if it's not here, maybe we find some clues."

"Yeah... right," Ling Tong followed Gan Ning inside the cave.

"But be careful, there must be traps here. Stay close and don't touch anything..."

"Do you think I don't know th..." Ling Tong was about to finish his sentence when he felt the rock he had been leaning in move suddenly. He felt his body taking a dangerous movement downward as he realized he was falling into a dark place...

x

x

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait, guys, I've been really busy lately. I don't know if I told you before, but I shouldn't be writing anything, I have to study for a very important exam. That's why it took so long for me to post this chapter and that's also the reason why I'm not reading many fics. I'm a little frustrated because this story is special for me. I wanted to test my writing style in it, but I don't have time to dedicate myself to it, not as much as I wanted. And I don't want the quality of my work dropping too much, so it will take more time for the next updates.

So now Sun Quan and Lu Xun are back ^^ And I will try to make them appear in all the next chapters.

Thank you for the reviews **NekoKitty933** and **Animelover6000**. For a moment, I thought I would feel like in that song... "but my words like silent raindrops fell, and echoed in the wells of silence." It's good to know there are people still considering what I say. I want to go back in the DW archive and look for older fics, read them and add more stories to my favorites, but it will have to wait some more, because I don't have the time right now. But I hope I won't remain silent for too long.

I don't know if there are people interested in it, but maybe I will post a Ling Tong/Zhao Yun or Zhao Yun/Ling Tong xD It's just that I had this idea some time ago, but I put it aside until I started writing one day... I should be studying but... well... I did it just for fun, and mostly for myself, because I didn't know if people would like to read it... :\ You see, I like experimenting with different pairings. Maybe I'm trying to pair up Zhao Yun with everyone xD I already did it with Ma Chao, Cao Pi and Zhou Yu. So I think I can work on the story a little more to post it.

So that's it for now.

See you in the next chapter!


	6. Chapter 6

**Warning:** What can I say... there's explicit content in this chapter. I hope you don't mind two guys going at it xD

**A/N:** Sorry for the long wait. I've been really busy with some things related to my career, so it took me longer than I planned to get back to writing. I wanted to post this chapter some weeks ago, but I knew that if I did that the quality of my work would drop. I had a lot of things going on in my mind, I've been worried about some things, so I decided to wait until I was in a better mood. Unfortunately, these two months were terrible for my writing and my creativity, and I tried really hard not to let it affect this story, but I feel that I could do something better if it weren't for those hard times. Well, I did all I could.

**Word Count:** 5,436

* * *

><p><strong>A Home for a Pirate<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

The darkness was there below him, ready to engulf Ling Tong's body in a deadly embrace. He thought of nothing as he fell; he saw nothing as he fell. There was just that instinctive urge to hold onto something, anything. One of his hands grasped a layer of dirt on the slippery wall, before he felt his fist closing around nothing but air. His other hand, however, got hold of a thin line of hope as his fingers held onto the edge of the rocky surface. Ling Tong felt the cruel gravity pulling him down as he fought not to fall. He couldn't hold on much longer in that position, as his fingers slipped off the rough and cold edge...

...Until he felt a strong grip on his arm.

"Ling Tong."

The general looked above him and saw Gan Ning's eyes staring back. The golden orbs seemed to glow with the intensity of his gaze and his expression was contorted in a painful attempt to hide his despair.

"Don't move. I got you."

"Gan Ning..." Ling Tong felt his nails sliding down the surface.

"Don't look down. I'm gonna pull you up."

"Okay..." Ling Tong whispered.

"One, two, three..." Gan Ning counted before taking a deep breath and pulling the other man.

Ling Tong felt himself being lifted up slowly and then pulled with force. He held onto the rocky surface and pulled the rest of his body to a safe place. When he was finally out of danger, he concentrated on getting back the air into his lungs, as he sat on the ground. He felt a line of cold sweat tricking down his forehead as his body shook with the waves of adrenaline that rushed through his veins. Slowly, he willed himself to calm down and breath steadily again, but the most difficult thing was finding the courage to face Gan Ning. He could only think of how angry the pirate would be. But Ling Tong didn't have to do anything when he felt arms around him, holding him in a tight embrace. He felt the hot breath meeting his skin as the other trembling body pressed to his in desperate need.

"Ling Tong," Gan Ning gave out an anguish cry as he pressed his face firmly to the brunet's neck.

"It's okay, Ning," Ling Tong tried to comfort the other man. "I'm okay."

The blond warrior suddenly moved away and Ling Tong looked at him instinctively. There was worry in his expression, there was anger in his expression and there was a touching devotion in his expression. "I told you not to do this to me again."

"I'm sorry," it was all Ling Tong dared to say.

"You scared the shit out of me."

"I know." Ling Tong lowered his head and looked down in shame.

"That's all you have to say?" Gan Ning demanded an answer after some time of silence.

"I can't find the words to tell you how sorry I am."

"Do you think it's easy like that? You just come here and kiss me and pretend nothing happened?"

Ling Tong arched an eyebrow in confusion as he stared at Gan Ning. "What are you talking about? I didn't do that."

"I know." Gan Ning's expression softened. "So come here and kiss me and let us pretend nothing happened."

Ling Tong blinked a few times, still not believing in what he heard.

"Come here..." Gan Ning whispered.

Ling Tong crawled to the place the blond was seated and stared at his eyes for a moment, before pressing his lips to the blond's. "I'm sorry," he apologized again before kissing Gan Ning softly, feeling himself being pulled forward by strong arms. A warm mouth welcomed his in a passionate kiss that made them forget about the world for some time, until it ended in a soft brushing of lips.

"Okay, apologies accepted," Gan Ning said gently as he opened his eyes again. "But will you stop worrying me now?"

"I didn't do this on purpose."

"I know. You just happen to always get yourself into trouble and I always have to save your ass."

"It's not like that."

"Yes, it is. Now..." Gan Ning stood up. "Let's go, we still have some things to do here."

Ling Tong stood up and saw the blond starting to walk, but he made the man stop when he held him from behind. "Thank you, for taking care of me." He pressed his face to Gan Ning's shoulder.

"Yeah, how could you live without me?"

"I don't know how," Ling Tong whispered softly in confession. For a moment, he didn't know how he had lived without Gan Ning until he returned. It didn't seemed so much as living. It seemed to be a faint memory in comparison to the strong presence of Gan Ning right then with him.

The pirate nodded as he stared at Ling Tong in a silence that was full of meaning, before he stared at the dark way ahead. "So let's go now?"

"Let's go."

They walked some more and, as they advanced into the cave, the darkness didn't seem so dark as their eyes adjusted to the light conditions. The way they followed wasn't a complicate one, no turns, no forks, they just head to go straight ahead. It seemed there were no more traps, there were no more surprises. It seemed a bit too easy...

...Until they found something in the way.

"Well," Ling Tong said after seeing the dead end. "It seems there's nothing more here."

"What?" Gan Ning stared at the brunet in disbelief. "Are you kidding?"

"No! Look ahead, there's nothing more here."

"It can't be..." Gan Ning took a step ahead and touched the cold walls.

Ling Tong crossed his arms and watched as the blond searched for something that could reveal a surprise hidden. "Gan Ning..."

The blond pirate stared at Ling Tong. "I found something."

"Oh... no... you didn't."

"Yes, I did. Come here," he motioned for Ling Tong to get closer.

The brunet rolled his eyes and sighed in defeat before walking to Gan Ning's side. "What?"

"Help me push this rock."

"Wait..." Ling Tong stared at the wall of the cave. "I think there's nothing that can be moved here."

"This was all planned to deceive people. There's a passage here."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, put your hands in here and help me push it."

"Alright... but it's better we find something in here... I don't want to get tired for nothing."

"Stop whining and push."

Ling Tong cursed silently, but did as he was told. At first, it seemed nothing was happening, in spite of his efforts, but suddenly, he had the impression something was indeed moving. He pushed some more with Gan Ning and it was then that the wall moved aside, revealing the continuation of the path. Ling Tong stared ahead and saw a long corridor that seemed to go on forever.

"Wow, it seems we have a long way ahead." He stared at Gan Ning. "Do you really think we should... Never mind, I know what you're going to say." Ling Tong stared to walk. "Better we find something soon, I'm really getting hungry now."

"Okay," Gan Ning smiled. "Let's hurry then... besides, I can't wait until I get to punish you..."

Ling Tong felt a shiver down his spine and thought it was better not to look at Gan Ning right then, he was sure he was going to find a stupid smirk and... "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

Gan Ning stared at Ling Tong in worry at the unexpected yell and saw his clumsy lover on the ground. "What was that?"

"I stepped on something and..."

"You fell?" Gan Ning stared at him in disbelief. "Ling Tong, you tried that one before."

"No, really, I tripped on something and... Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

"What was that?"

Ling Tong pointed to a direction. "There's a bone in here!"

Gan Ning stared at the place and saw what seemed to be a very long white femur. "Yeah... there's a bone in here..." he looked around for a moment and then smiled in excitement. "Look, there are more!"

Ling Tong looked at the point Gan Ning was staring at and saw the white companions of the bone. An eyeless skull stared back at him in curiosity and Ling Tong turned to Gan Ning with an angry gaze. "Why are you so happy to see a corpse?"

"Oh, it's not much of a corpse." He inspected the fleshless dry skeleton. "It's more like a dog's playground."

Ling Tong stood up angrily and walked to the direction of the dead host, eyeing him with disgust. "It's not funny, you know, making fun of a dead person."

"Come on, I bet this guy had some sense of humor. He even looks like he's smiling."

Ling Tong stared at the gaping mouth that seemed to be opened for a large fit of laughing, but he doubted the man was happy when he died.

Despite Ling Tong's sour mood, Gan Ning grinned widely. "We must be close." And advanced merrily through the corridor, until his heart accelerated in excitement when he saw more skeletons lying around. And there were more gathered at what seemed to be a chamber's guards that once protected the place were resting peacefully against the walls, lost in an eternal slumber.

"Well, this is it." Gan Ning stared at the small passage. He was about to take a step inside when he felt a grip on his wrist.

"Wait..."

Gan Ning stared at Ling Tong in concern. "What? Are you afraid?"

The brunet gulped. "No... It's just that we'd better watch where we're going."

"Yeah, right, like being careful not to get caught in the traps. Isn't it, Ling Tong?"

The long-haired officer remembered what had happened earlier. "Yeah..."

"It's okay. Nothing bad will happen. Xingba is here to save the day." He winked before advancing into the passage.

Ling Tong saw Gan Ning's body disappearing and felt suddenly anxious. "Hmm... Is everything okay?" his voice reverberated through the cave.

There was an awkward silence before a voice cut it abruptly. "Get your ass in here, you gotta see this!"

Ling Tong hurried through the narrow passage and stared in awe at the sight before him. There was a huge area guarded by the walls of the cave. It seemed to have been a lively place when its occupants were alive. There were chairs and tables and crates and barrels everywhere. And there were skeletons and skeletons and skeletons everywhere. The most curious thing was that there was no sign of a fight or tumult, the dead pirates were orderly in their place, like nothing had happened to disturb them. There were a couple of them gathered in a conversation near the piled barrels and there was a pair sitting in front of each other at a table, drinking old dust from the ancient cups. There was a group gambling in a circle and one of he skeletons had his ghastly hands over his skull in frustration as the others pointed their white fingers and laughed at him.

"It's strange..." Ling Tong whispered. "It seems they didn't realize they died."

"Maybe it's better this way," Gan Ning concluded as he walked through the chamber.

"But how did they die?"

"I don't know."

"Do you think it was the curse?"

"Maybe," Gan Ning stared at Ling Tong. "Are you afraid?"

"No... but if it was, what will happen to us?"

"We are alive, aren't we?"

"Yeah..."

Gan Ning chuckled softly. "Look, what killed them won't kill us. We have nothing to do with it."

"How can you be so calm with a bunch of dead guys around you?"

"I don't know... I've seen many in my life. I just don't feel anything anymore," Gan Ning said softly. "You're too sensitive. Even though you'd seen many die, you still feel sorry for them."

"It's not like that... " Ling Tong tried to explain himself.

"It's okay, you don't have to blame yourself for having feelings."

"You're talking as if you didn't have feelings."

"I do. But only for special ones." He stared warmly at Ling Tong before turning to a narrow passage. "Come on, we need to find our treasure."

"Do you really think we will find it?"

"Don't you believe in me?"

Ling Tong rolled his eyes. "I guess I do..." He followed Gan Ning through another narrow passage. The area was considerably smaller, but curiously brighter. There were some thin lines of light that entered through small fends on the ceilings. The rays danced over the enclosured air, cutting the darkness.

"Look at what we found," Gan Ning grinned as he saw the form before them. By the look of the rags that adorned the dead pirate, he seemed to be their leader. His skeleton had not fallen over the ground, it was like something magic held him in that kneeled position. He was there, still, not bothered by the intruders that had maculated the silence that once reigned in the small chamber. He was there looking fixedly at a chest that was before him, as if contemplating it, as if praying before an idol, not daring to touch it.

"It seems like we found it," Ling Tong concluded. "So take this thing quickly and let's go back."

"Anxious are we?" Gan Ning smirked. He circled the dead pirate and the chest, as if studying it. "What do you think there's inside?"

"Gold, jewels, dirt, dead rats, Lu Meng's underwear, whatever, just hurry up and open it."

"Ha I hope it's not Lu Meng's underwear," Gan Ning kneeled and turned the old chest. He inspected it and it seemed to be unlocked, so he put his hands on it and... "Are you ready?" he asked Ling Tong.

"God dammit, open it!"

"Hey! Don't yell at me!"

Ling Tong kneeled and pushed Gan Ning aside, grabbing the chest and opening it. His eyes examined the contents of it and it seemed the air was taken from his lungs. "Hum..."

"Anything valuable?"

Ling Tong looked at Gan Ning by the corner of his eye and then pushed the chest to his direction. "Take a look."

"Holy shit!" There were shining golden pieces shimmering happily and sparkling gems smiling in red, green and blue-a very lovely sight to see. "Well, I've seen better things before." Gan Ning stood up with the chest in his arms, as if cradling it. "But that will do." He started to make his way back.

"Are you kidding me?" Ling Tong stood up and followed Gan Ning. "There's enough to get food for an army!"

"Yeah, no big deal."

"Don't tell me you've found something more valuable than this."

"Okay, I can't say that it's the worst treasure I've found, but it's far from being the best one. I'm a little disappointed, with all the stories I've heard of this island, I thought it was a sea of gold or something like that. It's not even that heavy."

"I think it's great that this island even exist... But, wait. If you found better things, what did you do with it?"

"I spend it."

"You spend it?"

"Yeah."

"On what?"

"Ships, booze, women... things like that."

"All the treasure?"

"I kept some of it in my room," he eyed Ling Tong. "The room that you took from me... but I only kept the ones that were special. The rest of it I just spent in bars and doing things. I didn't want to be like those pirates, saving their treasures and dying before seeing them again. Money is for you to spend it. What is life without fun?"

"But what will you do with what we found today? Will you spend all of it?"

"No, I told you, I will give it to you."

"But... it was your quest."

"I just wanted the adventure, the thrill. I don't need the money anymore, I have everything I want right now." He stared at Ling Tong and then let a small smile appear on his expression. "So let's go. Let's go back to the ship... as you wanted so much."

xxx

It seemed to have become frequent for the conference room to see people gathered due to a particular matter.

"Did you split the team and searched for general Ling Tong, as I advised you to?" Lu Xun asked the men before him.

"Yes, my lord. Some of us searched the castle, others outside, some looked into the city and others searched around the city's limits, and others searched for him at the vicinity area." The leader of the investigation team said proudly, caressing his black mustache in contentment.

"That was a good plan, Boyan," Sun Quan stared at him in admiration.

"Thank you, my lord," Lu Xun blushed slightly.

They stared at each other and lost track of time for a while, before Sun Quan snapped out of his reverie and stared back at the officers. "So, what did you find out?"

The officers stared at each other. "Our general Ling Tong wasn't there."

Sun Quan had been worried by that. He hoped they could find his officer or, at least, some relevant information about him, but it seemed Ling Tong had disappeared without traces.

"We even looked in the bars and in the whor... girl houses as lord Lu Xun, advised us to."

"I see..." Sun Quan had a sad expression on his face. "Thank you for your effort until now, and I ask you to keep searching for him. Anything, any information, any rumor can help."

"Yes, my lord, we we'll do the best we can," the leader of the investigation team said solemnly. He could see the worry in his sovereign's face and it was a sad thing to witness.

Lu Xun saw that too and put his hands behind Sun Quan's back to try to comfort him. "Don't worry, my lord, we'll find our Gongji."

"I thank you, Boyan, but I'm afraid we won't find him. It's not like him to disappear like that, without telling anyone... I'm afraid of what might have happened to him."

Lu Xun stared at his lord's sad face and felt his heart ache at the sight. He was much worried about Ling Tong too, but he convinced himself he had to be strong, he had to be strong for his lord. He wouldn't be able to help if he got desperate and lost control of his emotions.

"My lord, maybe you need to rest."

"I don't want to rest, I don't think I can rest thinking about what happened to Gongji."

"He will be alright. He knows how to take care of himself."

"I know, I know that... but... I can't forget he risked his life to save me, I own him so much. I can't rest until I know what happened to him."

"My lord," Lu Xun held Sun Quan's hands in his and stared deeply into his eyes. "I promise I'll find him for you."

xxx

Ling Tong felt the last drops of water sliding down his skin, before he finished drying himself. It had been a tiring day and that bath had been very nice to make him relax. He warped the towel around him and then stretched himself slowly. All he needed that night was a nice rest in an inviting bed, fluffy pillows, soft sheets and a warm body for him to hold tight. Oh, speaking of it,

_Where's that pirate?_

The officer stepped out of the room and walked around in search of his lover. It had been a while since he last saw him. Gan Ning had said he had to take care of something in the ship, check if everything was in order for their journey.

_It will be so good to leave this place._

Ling Tong was at the deck and saw the shadow of the island blurred by the fog and the night. That place was really ugly and uninviting and he prayed he didn't have nightmares that night. He looked around again and saw no sign of Gan Ning, and the place was unnervingly silent, as if the silence was so thick and heavy that it weighted down on his shoulders.

"Is there something wrong?"

Ling Tong almost jumped in surprise. He turned around to see a blond-haired man staring at him.

"No... I was just... walking around."

"Missed me that much?" Gan Ning couldn't help but grin.

"No, I was here... enjoying the view of this..." _hideous surroundings._ "Place."

Gan Ning chuckled softly and walked to Ling Tong's direction, standing before him. "You don't need to lie to me." He stepped even closer.

Instinctively, Ling Tong took one step back. He didn't know why he did that, but there was something in Gan Ning's eyes, a mischievous gleam, that made him feel a little uneasy.

The pirate took another step closer and held Ling Tong's arm, squeezing it slightly. "Why are doing this? Come here."

"Oh, I can tell you have something on your mind by the way you're staring at me."

"Can you tell?" Gan Ning slid his free hand over the brunet's chest. "Ling Tong... did you forget you promised me something?" He bit on Ling Tong's neck. "I came here to get what I deserve." Gan Ning slid his hand over his lover's arm and grabbed him by the wrist, leading him inside. But he was a little surprised to notice some resistance.

"Oh... but... you didn't plan something... hm... to... never mind..."

"Punish you?"

"...Yeah... something like that... I don't want to be restrained and things like that, it's a little uncomfortable..."

"Oh, don't worry, I decided to leave it for another time." Gan Ning smiled reassuringly to Ling Tong. "I was thinking about a more disciplinary measure... you've been a naughty boy."

"...Er..." Ling Tong swiftly freed himself from Gan Ning's grip and took some steps away from him. "I don't think it's a good idea..."

"Oh, I think it is," Gan Ning took some determined steps towards Ling Tong. "Now... don't make things difficult for me..."

Ling Tong saw the man getting closer, moving towards him like a hunter after his prey, and his instinctive reaction was to escape. He was known to be very fast, but unfortunately for him, Gan Ning was known to be very fast too, so Ling Tong couldn't prevent the pirate from reaching him and grabbing him by the waist. They weren't far from the room, so it didn't take long for the pirate to drag him to the bed. Gan Ning sat on the mattress and put Ling Tong lying over his knees.

"Wait, Gan Ning, what do you think you're doing?"

"Oh, soon you'll know..." the blond took the towel off Ling Tong's waist, exposing his bottom to the air.

The brunet blushed when he felt a hand sliding over his ass. "I'm not a child..."

"But you act like one sometimes..."

_Oh no this is not happening. _

Ling Tong held his breath because he knew what was coming, so it wasn't a big surprise when he felt a hand slapping him. It hurt him less than he had expected, but it still hurt, making him gasp. Soon he felt another slap, harder than the previous one and that made him groan in pain. He cursed Gan Ning while he felt the sequence of slaps. He felt it hard to breath with the hand hitting him repeatedly. Ling Tong felt his skin sting and he knew it must be displaying an angry red color. The more he tried to struggle and squirm and curse Gan Ning, the more the pirate seemed to like it. And Ling Tong could feel how much he liked it, the blond's hardened organ was poking his hip in a very evident way. Ling Tong felt sweat covering his skin and a deep blush covering his cheeks. He was thinking about plans of revenge when he felt the hand stopping. He wondered if Gan Ning decided to end that perverted game, but he doubted the pirate was satisfied in finishing it at that point.

Gan Ning stared down at the work of his hand and grinned broadly. It was quite a sight. He caressed the reddened area softly, feeling Ling Tong shiver under his touch. It was then he started to knead the abused skin, squeezing and rubbing, making Ling Tong hiss in pain. Gan Ning's own hand was red and stung by the exercise, but he decided to give Ling Tong another round of hard slaps. He knew he was making it a little too rough, and he would stop if Ling Tong weren't enjoying it too. The curses were nothing, he heard them all the time, it only made his grin widen, because he felt Ling Tong's erection brushing against his lap.

Ling Tong had his eyelids closed and felt tears cloud his eyes, it hurt so much and he felt so ashamed for being like that, it was so humiliating. He didn't know why his groans of pain were turning into moans of pleasure... It was then he felt the slapping stop. He took a deep breath and tried to get some air into his lungs. But suddenly, he held his breath again, when he felt a slick finger deepen its way in, being followed by another. He was having a hard time breathing again when the fingers started to slide in and out repeatedly. They kept moving, reaching deeply inside him, until Ling Tong was panting in pleasure, but when he was getting to carried away, he heard a husky voice.

"Do you want more?"

Ling Tong knew what Gan Ning wanted him to answer, but he wouldn't give in to his wish. He wouldn't beg to be fucked and grant all the pirate wanted so easily. He knew Gan Ning wouldn't have the patience to wait for too long. So he simply smiled in his small victory when he felt the fingers retreating after a while. He felt himself being put in another position, so his elbows and knees met the mattress. Ling Tong waited for Gan Ning to move behind him, so he didn't expect the pirate kneeling in front of him. He saw Gan Ning lowering down his pants and sliding them off his body, before the hard cock stood proudly before him. Ling Tong lifted his head and stared up at the smirking lips and the glowing orbs that were fixed on his face. He stared once again at the organ in front of him and complied to Gan Ning's wishes.

The brunet felt a hand grip his hair at the same time his lips met the hardened flesh. He slid them over the side of the length and went back to engulf the head. His mouth sucked hard as he moved over the member, hearing Gan Ning groan in pleasure, until the hand gripping his hair pulled on it enough to make his head be pulled back.

Ling Tong saw Gan Ning moving behind him and he couldn't deny he was eager to feel the blond inside. The organ brushed over the skin reddened by the spanking and he hissed slightly in pain. Then he felt it tease him again, sliding over the cleft and then moving down to finally brush the opening, until it entered slowly. By that time, both of them had little patience left, so it didn't take long before Gan Ning's cock was buried deeply inside.

The blond took the brunet by the hips and kept thrusting hard. His hands started to move over Ling Tong's ass, until he slapped him again. He heard the brunet moan loudly and he moaned too, feeling the muscles around his cock squeezing him tightly. Gan Ning stopped for a while, took a deep breath and retreated, to slam his member back in hard. Then he repeated the motion, but slapping Ling Tong once more, feeling him grip him again. So he kept thrusting like that until it became too much, making him come so hard his vision was blurred for a while. The pleasure had struck him with such force it took a while for him to recover his senses.

He retreated his member, and when he finally opened his eyes again, he saw Ling Tong moaning loudly as he stroked himself fast. Gan Ning admired the sight of his lover trying to bring himself over the edge and then leaned over his ass to lick the reddened skin. He kissed and sucked on the area he had been punishing with a gentleness that contrasted with the rough treatment of before. Gan Ning kept caressing him with his mouth until he stopped to whisper softly, "Come for me."

And Ling Tong obeyed, spreading his seed over his hand and sheets. Then he collapsed on the bed, exhausted, overwhelmed by all the sensations. He closed his eyes and felt like not opening them again for a long time, but he felt Gan Ning lying beside him and turning his face. He opened his eyes again and saw the pirate's face moving closer until their lips met in a passionate kiss. Ling Tong felt the overwhelming presence of Gan Ning's mouth and thought he couldn't get enough of it. He felt a desperate need to feel more and more of it, until he couldn't breath. Ling Tong stopped the kissing to take some air into his lungs, before he was soon kissed again by the craving mouth of his lover. He let himself being lost in that kiss for as long as he could, until he started to feel too light-headed.

"Ning..." he tried to convince his lover to stop, but he felt the hot lips coming over his once more.

The blond kissed him again and then stopped reluctantly. He took a deep breath and stared at Ling Tong. "Sorry... I got too carried away."

"Yeah... I could see that..." He took some time to regain his breath and then tried to adjust his body to a better position, but he found it difficult with the amount of exertion he had that night. His muscles felt all sore and he felt a prominent pain in the lower part of his body. "You're going to pay me for this..." he hissed. But for his annoyance, he heard a chuckle.

"But it has to be later, because I don't think you can do much right now..." He stared at Ling Tong lying spent on the bed and smirked.

"You just wait..."

"You really think I own you something, don't you?" Gan Ning lay back on the bed. "But you forget that I was only making things even."

"But I did nothing wrong..." Ling Tong muttered.

"No, we're almost crashed back there at the rocks, then you almost got yourself killed. You deserved a harsher punishment, that was too light..."

"You said that because it wasn't your ass..."

"It's not like you didn't have your fun."

"No, I didn't... I was shamelessly spanked... and that's very embarrassing for a high-ranked officer. What would you think if it were with you?"

Gan Ning stared at Ling Tong and then laughed. "I'd think it's kinky."

Ling Tong turned his face and buried it on the pillow, muttering in exasperation, "You're hopeless..."

x

x

x

**A/N:** Thank you **NekoKitty933**, **Nan Ma** and **Animelover6000** for your reviews, they are always appreciated :D There wasn't much of Lu Xun and Sun Quan in this chapter, but I plan to let them appear more in the next one xD And I will post the Ling Tong/Zhao Yun fic as soon as I can.


	7. Chapter 7

**Word Count: **4,863

**A/N:** Here I am again, with another chapter, bringing more nonsense, humor and surrealism xD

* * *

><p><strong>A Home for a Pirate<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

An endless and pure blue stared down at a calm ship swimming over playful waters. The waves giggled with the tickling of the smiling sunrays and bumped clumsily against the wooden sides of the vessel. The sails moved lazily as the breeze sneaked around them. Although the nature played like a cheerful child, the morning was almost silent. Everything was hushed whispers... and soft moans...

The wooden planks creaked slightly, adjusting themselves to the weight that lay upon them. It was then that skins brushed against each other in an insistent movement.

Ling Tong found himself staring at the large blue sky as Gan Ning distributed kisses over his neck. The plan for that morning had been cleaning up the deck, but somehow, they ended up lying naked over the wooden planks... Such a mystery how some plans changed over the time. The creativity of fate.

The pirate's mouth traveled up, sliding over the brunet's jaw line, while his hand traveled down, teasing Ling Tong's abdominal muscles. "Gan Ning... I think we should..."

"Stop?" the blond chuckled, hot puffs of air blowing against flushed cheeks. "No, you don't want to."

"How can you be so sure?" the question came in ragged breaths.

That made the pirate laugh, his tattoos dancing mockingly as they followed the body's movement. When the laughing stopped, Gan Ning stared down at Ling Tong and smirked. "Why would you want to stop when I'm doing... this..." his hand gripped the brunet's cock and then slid over it a few times.

Ling Tong arched into the touch and let out a strangled moan. He felt light-headed with the movement of fingers and thumb and he chuckled softly, "I think you won the argument."

Gan Ning grinned and then kissed the brunet's parted lips. The blond felt fingers dance over his tattooed skin... but then a sudden loss of contact... before they returned to tease his member. The erratic movements were driving him insane, so he stopped his work to place the teasing hand over his organ. He led it over the growing surface and was almost losing himself in bliss... when Ling Tong pushed him away abruptly, ruining the moment.

"What the..." Gan Ning trailed off before seeing black sails not so far from them.

"I think they're pirates," Ling Tong said when he saw the ship approaching.

"No way!" Gan Ning stood up. "I'm the pirate here, they can't attack me!"

Ling Tong saw the movement of several men, that seemed to be prepared to invade their ship. "Then tell this to these guys!" the brunet urged.

"Oh shit, what a bad timing..." Gan Ning hissed when he saw the pirates getting too close.

They stared at each other-the awkwardness dense in the air. It was clear there was not enough time to get dressed and get a weapon. So they had to choose quickly: get dressed or get a weapon.

Get dressed or get a weapon.

When the first pirates reached the deck, Ling Tong was rushing to get dressed and Gan Ning was searching for a weapon.

The blond pirate tried to head to the inner compartments of the ship to get his weapon, but found the way blocked by two men. The pirates advanced towards him menacingly, but stopped suddenly. They stared fixedly at Gan Ning, somewhat unnerved by his stated of nakedness.

"What? A pirate can't be naked in his own ship?" Gan Ning protested.

The pirates looked at each other and then shrugged, resuming their advances with wicked grins on their faces.

"Okay, you wanna a piece of me so badly, then come." It wasn't as if Gan Ning had never faced a battle bare-handed... Naked, however, would be the first time... if he didn't count those playful games in his room with Ling Tong...

The first pirate slashed his sword in a semi-circle through the air, before he found himself flying towards a mast. The other struck his blade forward, picturing a bloody hole in the blond's chest, but saw his face crashing against a wall. Gan Ning turned and watched as the first pirate tumbled in his direction, sword trembling in a weak grip. The blond kicked the man's hand and saw the blade flying and then landing on the floor, dancing in circles before stopping. So he would finally put his hands on a weapon... if a third pirate hadn't stepped over it, taking it to form a pair with the sword he already had in hand.

Gan Ning stared at a man twice the size of his companions. His dark teeth smiled between the oily frame of a messy beard. It made Gan Ning remember that not all the pirates where good-looking and sexy as him.

The huge pirate advanced towards his blond prey, both swords in his hands, twirling them in the air as he eyed Gan Ning fixedly. The blond took some steps back, but found himself cornered when he felt the wall behind him. He saw a dark gaze up close and a breath of rotten sea against his cheek.

"Look, I know I'm irresistible, but you're not my type..." Gan Ning tried to avert his gaze from the piercing eyes.

"But you are my type..." the pirate licked his lips. "The type I eat as food," his grin widened in an almost inhuman way... before it vanished when he suddenly fell heavily on the floor.

"Gross!" Ling Tong stared at the man in disgust.

Gan Ning was relieved when he realized his lover had saved him. Ling tong was fully clothed and had a dangerous mop in hands. "Now.. you're more like my type." He grinned and pulled Ling Tong forward by the red fabric of his shirt, kissing him hard.

"Gan Ning!" he yelled when he freed himself from the blond's grip.

"What?" the tattooed man smirked when he saw the blush on Ling Tong's face.

"We're in the middle of a pirate attack! You can't kiss me!"

"Why not?"

"Because there are pirates around us and... they're staring at us..."

Gan Ning looked around and saw a gaping crowd of pirates in their deck.

"...So?"

"We're supposed to fight them."

"Ah... Okay."

They stared at each other and nodded in agreement.

Wave after wave of pirates fell down to the floor, until the last one was defeated by the fierce blow of a dangerous bucket Gan Ning had found. The blond grinned when he saw the pirates' bodies scattered around. It had been fun after all.

"Now, you should get dressed," Ling Tong warned his lover.

"Why?" Gan Ning scratched the back of his head.

"Because decent people wear..." Ling Tong stared the grinning face of Gan Ning and rolled his eyes. "Never mind."

"Here." The blond called his lover's attention. "Stop the whining and help me." He had a rope rolled around one shoulder and was carrying one of the pirates towards the mast. "Let's tie them here and think of a punishment for them."

"What if we just throw them into the water?"

"Wouldn't be so fun."

"Because you want to punish them," Ling Tong rolled his eyes.

"They invaded my ship!"

"Alright..." Ling Tong sighed deeply and helped Gan Ning carry the pirates to the mast. Then they warped the rope around them tightly.

"Now... what can we do..." Gan Ning grinned.

"You could tell them one of your stories."

"Yeah, good idea... I could tell them..." Gan Ning trailed off and then blinked in confusion. "But wait, and what about the punishment?"

Ling Tong smirked. "That would be punishment enough."

"What's wrong with my battle narratives?"

"Oh, nothing," Ling Tong's smirked even more.

"What if we spank them?"

"Have you gone out of your mind?"

"Oh I see, you'd get jealous if I spanked someone other than you."

Ling Tong narrowed his eyes in disapproval and blushed. "Why don't you force them to clean our deck," he tried to change the subject. "That was what we supposed to do when they showed up."

"No, we were doing other things. You know, _other things_," Gan Ning grinned.

"Yeah I know, but... we were supposed to clean the deck earlier, so... we could make them do the work."

"But it's not so embarrassing."

"Then imagine you cleaning their ship, and besides, we won't have to do the work... I'm tired," Ling Tong pleaded with his eyes.

"Hmm..." Gan Ning stared at the pleading gaze and considered the idea. "Okay."

"Great! Now you untie some of them and keep an eye on these pirates. I will go back to the room and take a nap." Ling Tong turned merrily and headed inside.

"Wait..."

Ling Tong turned his face back for a moment, "I want to see it all clean when I get back, but take your time, I think I will rest for some hours. See ya." He turned again and waved.

Gan Ning watched as his lover disappeared into the inner compartments of the ship and sighed.

"Alright." He looked around and found his clothes lying at a place ahead. After getting dressed, he picked a bucket full of water and went in the direction of the sleeping pirates. "Time to wake up."

xxx

Ling Tong yawned and stretched lazily as he drew some random patterns on the sheets with his feet. It was so good to take a good nap in the middle of the day... He rubbed his eyes softly and yawned once more, before lifting his body slowly. His eyes greeted the frail clarity of the thin-lit room and he adjusted his hair back in a neat ponytail. He took some steps away from the bed... but then stopped suddenly. Ling Tong remembered he had left his blond lover with some pirates at the deck. Was he okay?

_Ah of course he's okay. He's Gan Ning after all. _

Nothing wrong could have happened with an experienced general...

Ling Tong hurried through the ship, then stopped before the door that led him to the outside parts of the ship when he heard a single voice flowing through the air. He took a glimpse of the deck and saw all the pirates free from the ties, sitting in semi-circular lines on the floor. They were quiet and had their gazes fixed on a tattooed blond.

"...then a third officer came into the base. He carried a huge axe the size of a man and ran towards me, when I was still holding the second guy. The officer was still struggling in my arms and the other was getting closer and closer and I had to think fast so I kicked the guy I was holding in the direction of the other and the two of them rolled over the dirt floor all over each other. I almost laughed but then the first guy was lifting himself off the floor and I didn't know where did that sword in his hand came from, but he was pointing it at me and I didn't even stopped to think, I didn't even blink. When I realized, I was choking him with my chain and he was very strong but... It happened so fast, in a second he was down once again."

"And the other officers, master Gan Ning?" one of the pirates asked in curiosity.

"Oh they came back too, but it was me they were fighting against, they didn't stand a chance."

"You really took all of them by yourself..." one of the pirates whispered in awe.

"Yep."

"And what happened to master Ling Tong?"

"Ah you had to see his face. He was still so scared, but then he saw all the men on the ground and he looked at me. He was really relieved when he saw me, but he was too stubborn to thank me for saving his ass, so he kept staring at me, but then he came closer to me and..."

"And...?" All pirates asked in unison.

"He kis..."

"So I see you guys really cleaned this up!" Ling Tong stepped into the storytelling session and laughed nervously.

"Yeah, baby, we did it," Gan Ning smiled broadly.

"Don't call me that..." Ling Tong hissed and narrowed his eyes.

"And what about Tongy Tongy?"

"What?" He saw Gan Ning approaching with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. "Stay away from me!"

"You always say the sweetest things."

The pirates stared at each other and didn't know what to do as they watched that enigmatic display of affection, until one of them cleared his throat.

Gan Ning and Ling Tong stopped and stared at the crowd of pirates that was standing before them.

"So what we're gonna do now? Shall we leave?" a big bearded pirate asked.

"Shall we clean more?" a thin as a rope pirate asked shyly.

"We are good in cleaning," said a round pirate with a deep voice. "Our leader always liked his ship orderly and clean," he said in a voice affected by emotion.

"Yeah... our old leader..." the thin pirate said with a teary-eyed expression.

"Don't you have a leader anymore?" Ling Tong asked softly moved by the emotional atmosphere that covered them.

"Did he die?" Gan Ning asked and received a hit by his lover's elbow for his tactful approach on the subject.

The group of pirates stood in silence, staring at the floor in sadness, until one of them decided to talk.

"One day, we met a dark ship, with black sails. They attacked us and robbed our money. Then they made we strip and..." the trembling voice paused in reluctance.

"...and they robbed our clothes," another pirate continued. "They even took Sunny Sky."

"Who's Sunny Sky?" Ling Tong asked.

"Our leader's favorite bird, he was blue and yellow. They took everything from us," the big pirate let a single tear roll down his face. "And our leader..."

"Did he die?" Gan Ning asked again.

The thin pirate lifted his head and brushed some tears off his eyes. "No. What made you think that? He left with a circus the next day."

"Yeah... He was good in training animals." One of the big pirates smiled.

"Oh... I see, very tragic," Gan Ning concluded. "So I think your job here is done, guys."

That made the group of pirates stare at each other in an enigmatic silence, until they nodded and kneeled.

"Master Gan Ning!" the pirate lowered his head to the floor. "Please, be our leader."

"Yes, master Gan Ning, we need a leader!"

The tattooed blond stared at the pirates kneeling before him and pondered upon the request. It had been a while since he had a crew. And he couldn't deny he was good at being a leader. He stared at Ling Tong, asking for permission with his eyes.

The dark-haired man caught the question and stared at the group before him. They were ugly and they smelled bad, but besides that, they were also... ugly and smelled bad. "No!" Ling Tong mouthed to Gan Ning.

"Why not?" he whispered softly and stared at his lover with a pleading golden gaze.

Ling Tong gulped, crossed his arms in front of his chest and examined the group of pirates once more. He took a deep breath and decided they were not so bad... but "No."

"But they don't have a leader," Gan Ning pleaded.

"But they don't take baths!" he yelled and then saw all gazes turning to him. "Not that it's a bad thing, guys!" he laughed nervously.

"Okay..." Gan Ning stared down and nodded after a while. "I understand." He walked to the direction of the pirates and stood right in front of them. "Stand up, guys. There's no need to bow before me, I'm not you're leader."

"But..." One of the pirates protested.

"You don't need a leader, you're doing great on your own. I... I can't accept you as my crew. You see, I'm in a special journey with this guy here and we... need to be alone."

After a moment of silence, the pirates started to stand up once again. They stared at each other for a while, until one of them spoke again. "We understand, master Gan Ning."

"We are leaving now. Forgive us for trying to invade your ship."

"Don't worry about it," Gan Ning dismissed their apologies. He saw the pirates heading towards their ship one by one, until all of them left. When he thought no more words would be heard in that silent goodbye, he saw all the pirates waving back at him as their ship moved away.

"We'll never forget you, master Gan Ning!"

The blond pirate smiled broadly and waved back.

"Have a nice honeymoon!" the choir of pirates said.

Ling Tong arched an eyebrow. "Why did they say that? We're here to see an island, it's not like we're in this journey to... be together or something like that... like couples..."

Gan Ning laughed. "Oh Ling Tong, you say such things..."

xxx

"Excuse me, my lord, but the meeting is about to start." Lu Xun was worried about Sun Quan. It was not like him to forget about something important. Lu Xun tried to pay attention to any sound that came from his sovereign's chamber but the place seemed to be silent, as silent as if no one was there. "My lord...?" he asked tentatively. "May I come in?" He couldn't just barge into his lord's room without asking for permission. It took some time, but he eventually heard a soft

"Come in."

Lu Xun didn't like the tone of Sun Quan's voice, so devoid of life. He entered cautiously and saw his lord sitting on an ornate chair, turned to the balcony, staring at an empty sky.

"You'll get late for the meeting," Lu Xun said softly.

"It's been days since he disappeared and nothing new was found. It will be the same thing..." Sun Quan stared at the blank horizon tiredly. "I don't know if can face it anymore."

Lu Xun stared at his lord, and felt his heart clenching in his chest. None of his old friends were there to support him and his lord was in that sorrowful state. He couldn't help it... it was too late to think when he walked towards his lord's direction and warped his arms around his shoulders.

Sun Quan was taken aback by the action, but didn't stop his officer from embracing him from behind and burring his face on the crook of his neck.

"You don't need to come if you don't want to, my lord. Just stay here and I come back as soon as I have news..." Lu Xun lifted his head slightly and whispered. "I won't come back until I find anything new."

"No..." Sun Quan put his hand over Lu Xun's and turned his head slightly. "Don't go... I wouldn't bare the thought of losing you too." He stood up and turned to face the young general. "Here, I'm coming with you. Let's go to the meeting," he showed a sympathetic smile. "Let's go," he said again and took the boy's hand in a motion for him to follow. The moment was brief but even after their hands weren't touching, they still felt the warmth of the contact lingering on their skin.

xxx

"My lord."

All men bowed when Sun Quan entered the room and took his place.

"We've discovered valuable information."

That made Sun Quan widen his eyes in astonishment. "Really?"

"Yes, my lord." The first in command of the investigation team bowed and motioned for his men to bring someone.

From the shadows appeared a man that seemed as old as time. He had a long white beard resting on his chin and his skin resembled an ancient rock. His body was curved and appeared it could break any time. But despite the fragile look, he had sharp eyes of a hawk, attentive as if ready to attack.

"This man said he saw something that might interest us." The first in command turned to the fisherman. "Tell us what you saw."

The old man looked around with a piercing gaze, before losing himself in thoughts for a while, until his voice was finally heard, "It was a dark night. The waves were furious, like they knew some evil force was coming. I was stuck in the middle of the seas, unable to lead my ship somewhere safe. It was then that I saw..." the man paused for a moment and then stared forward as if envisioning what had happened. "The big head emerged from the dark waters." He opened his arms, to demonstrate the huge size of what he saw. "It had a hundred teeth in its mouth and thorns all over its body..."

Sun Quan stared at his men in confusion.

"No, man!" the officer yelled. "The other thing you saw."

"Ah..." the old man snapped out of his reverie. "There was a young man running through the port at night. He had long dark hair held in a ponytail and I could tell he was fairly tall. He was wearing red clothes, as red as blood."

"And tell us about the other man."

"Some time before there was a man that came up running through the port too. He was blond and had tattoos covering his arms and chest," said the fisherman.

"We believe that it could be our famous general that was once involved in piracy," the second in command spoke in proud contentment.

"Yes," the first in command said. "We believe it was general Zhou Tai."

Sun Quan stared in confusion. "But Zhou Tai is here,"

They all stared at a tall man standing in a dark corner of the conference room. "Yes, I'm here."

"And he didn't left the palace, as far as I know."

"No, my lord, I didn't," said the deep voice.

"Oh, yes," the leader of the investigation team said. "We believe it was our other great general, master Gan Ning... or just an ordinary bandit."

The second in command unrolled a scroll and consulted the information, "Fifty percent of our men, believe it was the famous general Gan Ning; the other fifty percent, believe it was just an ordinary thief; the other fifteen percent didn't know or refused to give their opinion."

"Wait..." Sun Quan thought for a moment. "I think there's something wrong..."

The man was stunned and looked back at the scroll to confirm the information. "My apologies, my lord, there was something wrong indeed. Fifty percent believe it was Gan Ning, another fifty percent believe it was an ordinary bandit. Five percent doesn't know and ten percent refused to answer."

"But... the sum seems to be... a little inaccurate," Lu Xun said.

"With all due respect, lord strategist, the sum is correct."

"But you can't have 115% of the men's opinion."

"Of course, we can, my lord, we have 115 men in the investigation team."

"But then 115 is 100%."

The officer stared at Lu Xun in confusion.

"Anyway," Sun Quan said. "What does this information represent?"

"We believe that if it were an ordinary bandit, then general Ling Tong was chasing after him, because he had been robbed. If it were general Gan Ning, then general Ling Tong might be chasing him to avenge his father's death. Or it could be Gan Ning robbing Ling Tong, then it would mean that our missing general was chasing him because he was robbed and had his father killed."

Sun Quan was alarmed by that... So Gan Ning had returned... and Ling Tong was probably trying to settle things with him. "Do you have any more information?"

"No, sir, that's it for now."

"Did you see anything more?" Sun Quan asked the fisherman.

"I did, my lord. Once I was traveling in my ship and I saw an island that seemed to be hidden by the mist..."

"Okay, old man, that's enough for today." The first in command led the fisherman outside.

"Men, I want you to look for more information around the port," Sun Quan instructed the officers.

They all bowed and went back to their work, leaving Sun Quan and Lu Xun alone in the room.

The young strategist stared at his lord's face and contemplated his expression. "Is there something worrying you, my lord?"

Sun Quan stared at the younger man with a grave expression clouding his face. "Are you not worried?"

Lu Xun blinked a few times in an innocent way. "I hope it was Gan Ning."

Sun Quan didn't understand. "But we all know what happened in their past."

"Yes, my lord, but I don't think Gongji would take his revenge. I think that he really overcame any ill feelings he had for master Gan Ning."

"How can you be so sure? Of course, they worked together in war, but do you think they could really settle their differences?"

"My lord forgot that Xingba risked his life to save our Gongji. And besides, I think they settled things in their own way."

"What do you mean? Did they truly make up?"

Lu Xun blinked a few times. "In a special way." The young strategist came closer to where Sun Quan was seated and kneeled before him, putting his hands on his lord's knees. "Don't worry, my lord, if they're together, they are fine."

xxx

The sky was deep and dark, as a thick mantle covering everything in sight. The waters were so dark that there was no way to tell where it ended, as if it merged with the sky. The ship was a tiny piece of wood floating over an endless sea. It was like the only thing that existed in a never ending darkness.

Almost covered by the night, little oil lamps glimmered in the deck, trembling points of light casting a golden glow over the two warriors sitting side by side.

"It seems so distant..." Ling Tong whispered.

"Hm...?" Gan Ning opened his eyes and stared at the other man.

"That island of yours. Does it really exist?"

"Of course it does! And it's closer than you think. See that distant point?"

Ling Tong stared ahead... and stared some more... "Hmm... No."

"Well, maybe you can't see now, but it's there. It's waiting for us. I can close my eyes and see it..." Gan Ning paused for a moment and imagined the shape of an island. "Yeah, do this, close your eyes."

"Gan Ning... I won't see anything."

"You will."

"No, I know, I won't"

"How can you be so sure?"

"Because..." Ling Tong tried to answer, but looked at Gan Ning and sighed deeply. "Never mind."

"Close your eyes."

"Okay..." Ling Tong said after some reluctant moments. "Hmm... I see nothing."

"Really?"

"Really."

"And now..." Gan Ning moved closer and kissed the brunet's lips softly.

Ling Tong opened his eyes. "I see you..." he whispered.

Gan Ning pushed him gently on the floor and crawled over him. "Isn't it the best sight you've ever had?"

Ling Tong rolled his eyes.

"Because... it sure is the best I had up here." Gan Ning stared down at Ling Tong's face and saw a faint shadow of a blush in his cheeks. The blond caressed his lover's hair and saw him closing his eyes, drifting off in his caresses. "That's it, close your eyes and sleep," he said in a voice as soft as a dream. "When you wake up, we'll be there."

And darkness became hazy and then white, a soft white. The pearly sand floated with the wind over jade dancing waters. The sky was the purest blue above them, above the earth and rocks and trees. And everything sparkled in color, in blue, and yellow and green. Everything was waving leaves and cascading water.

And that was the only place in the world.

"See. I told you we would be there."

x

x

x

x

**A/N:** Well, it was fun to write this chapter. It took some time, but it was somewhat easy to write, I just let my fingers type what they wanted. I hope someone had fun reading it. Thank you **LadyKatatonic, Animelover6000, NekoKitty933** and **Stalli Anna**, you make me really happy to see that you're enjoying this story. A little more of the investigation team in this chapter, a little more of Sun Quan/Lu Xun. The Ling Tong/Zhao Yun is up already, I'm happy to know you guys liked it :D

Yes, **LadyKatatonic**, I'm thinking about the Xu Huang/Zhang Liao, gathering some ideas, but I'm sorry, it will take a while until I can write something new. I'm involed in 5 projects right now, 3 of them are almost finished, but there's still this story and a somewhat long FF8 fic, so I will have to finish the drafts before I start something new.

I'd love it if you started writing for this fandom, **Stalli Anna**. I will give you some suggestions :D I love people writing fics of the things I want to see!

So I see you guys in the next chapter!


	8. Chapter 8

**Word Count: 5,888**

**A/N:** Sweet moments ahead, I hope it's not a problem xD

* * *

><p><strong>A Home for a Pirate <strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

The white grains were soft below their feet.

"Do you think the boat is secured there?" Ling Tong glanced back at the resting piece of wood tied to a tree and then back at his pirate companion.

Gan Ning saw the shadow of a lover hidden by a sudden curtain of sand carried by the wind and blinked for a moment. When he stared at Ling Tong again, he was there in color and bathed by the golden sunlight. It seemed his chest was too small to contain the beating of his heart. Love was dressed in red in front of him.

"Gan Ning, are you alright?" Ling Tong asked in concern as he saw the deep silent stare.

The blond man blinked and snapped out of his dreamy state. "What?" He scratched the back of his head. "Oh... the boat. It's fine."

"But don't you think the waves..." Ling Tong stared back at the boat. "...the waves could reach it?"

"Nah, they're far away. And I tied it very firmly." Gan Ning put his hands on his hips and tilted his head slightly to the side. "Don't you trust me?"

"Do you want me to say the truth?" Ling Tong teased.

Gan Ning rolled his eyes. "It will be there when we come back. But what's the problem if the waves took it?"

"What's the problem?" Ling Tong frowned. "What's the problem in being in a deserted island with no way of leaving it?"

"Yeah... Would it be so bad?"

"I can't spend my whole life here!"

"Of course you can. We have food," Gan Ning stared at coconut tree. "And we have water in the lake," he stared at the direction of the course of water hidden by the trees. "And you have me! Just imagine your life with only me. It would be like heaven!"

Ling Tong rolled his eyes. "Yeah... whatever..." He turned his back to the pirate again to keep walking.

Gan Ning stared at his tall lover walking away from him and narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean by 'whatever'?" He sped up his steps to reach Ling Tong and when he was almost gripping his wrist, he found himself bumping into a brunet that halted suddenly. "What the..."

"Wow..." Ling Tong stopped in the middle of the beach and stared in awe at the sight ahead. The view of the island seemed to be gorgeous from the ship, but up close it was breathtaking. He finally realized that the colors seemed to be so vivid he could almost feel them. There was a green line of trees circling an impressive mountain, that seemed to form a pillar of rock to the sky due to its fantastic height. He stared up to see the peak and he almost couldn't see it with the clouds forming a crown around it. "This island... It doesn't seem real."

Gan Ning stared ahead and grinned, seeing Ling Tong's point. "Told ya. It's such a gorgeous thing."

"I've never been in a place so..." the brunet felt a playful breeze caress his face. "So beautiful..." he whispered.

"Yeah, and it's all mine!"

Ling Tong turned and faced the blond pirate. "Are you sure no one found it before?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. I checked it," Gan Ning grinned. "Now we have to make it official."

"To make what official?" Ling Tong asked in confusion.

"That I own it!"

"Who said you owned it?"

"Me, of course."

Ling Tong rolled his eyes. "Yeah... right."

"So..." Gan Ning stared at the brunet with a huge grin on his face. "Make it official."

"Me?" Ling Tong pointed to himself. "Why me?"

"Because I brought you here to do this, remember?"

"Oh... yeah.." Ling Tong scratched the back of his head. "Fine then..." The brunet straightened himself and cleaned his throat, making a serious face. "Gan Ning of the bells, you may kneel now."

"Why do I have to kneel?" the pirate arched an eyebrow.

"Because I'm saying so... I'm conducting the ceremony here."

Gan Ning grunted and then shrugged, kneeling afterwards.

Ling Tong smirked at the sight and then continued. "I, Ling Tong, general of Wu, declare that Gan Ning of the bells is the... ruler of this island." The brunet blinked and inhaled deeply. "That's it."

"That was all?" Gan Ning arched an eyebrow in question.

"Yeah." Ling Tong put his hands on his hips and nodded.

They stared at each other for some time and then cracked up laughing at the situation.

"Alright!" Gan Ning stood up cheerfully, opened his arms and celebrated. "My island!" He jumped around and then stared at the sand. "Now I'm going to write my name here and mark it as mine." He grabbed a long stick that had fallen from a nearby tree and started to write in the sand. When he was almost finishing his name, something hit him. He lifted his head to stare in alert and saw the fast shadow of something being thrown at him. He stared down at his feet and saw a small brown coconut mocking him. "Stop that." Gan Ning stared at Ling Tong, who had his hands full of coconuts.

The brunet grinned and kept throwing the small fruits at the pirate, who tried to avoid the little things from hitting him.

"I'm the ruler of this island, you can't throw fruits at me!"

"And what about rocks?"

"Don't you even try!" Gan Ning warned, but received a tiny pebble in the middle of his forehead.

Ling Tong laughed at the sight and prepared himself for another round when he widened his eyes at the sight. He saw the blond closing his eyes and falling behind on the sand.

"Gan Ning?" Ling Tong stared at the lying form of the pirate and waited for a response. Nothing. Gan Ning was lying with no sign of movement. Ling Tong dropped the pebbles and coconuts from his hand and walked to the blond's direction. He stared down and saw the unmoving form of his lover. "Gan Ning?" he asked in concern. It was then he saw a smirk growing on the handsome face and then eyes opening. Ling Tong stared at the laughing pirate moving his arms and legs in the sand, the tattoos sliding over the pearly grains.

"It's so good in here..." Gan Ning closed his eyes and felt the soft sand caressing his body.

Ling Tong rolled his eyes and leaned down to grab the blond's wrist. "Hey, get up... Let's go..." He pulled the wrist up, but the pirate resisted. Ling Tong pulled again and then saw the body slowly rising, before he was pulled down. The brunet fell over Gan Ning's body with the unexpected movement. He felt sand grains lifting with the movement and falling over him as he felt the heat of tattooed skin below him. Ling Tong opened his eyes and stared at eyes staring back at him. He could feel the warmth of a breath against his face...

Gan Ning saw Ling Tong's face moving closer and closer, so he closed his eyes and waited...

...waited.

Waited more...

Gan Ning grunted in annoyance. Why was Ling Tong taking so long? He opened his eyes again and realized the brunet had moved away from him. The blond turned his head to the side to see Ling Tong standing at the sand. He wondered what he was doing there, when he felt the impact of something hitting him. His body was pushed sideways and he felt himself being turned by the blue force. The water splashed over his body and when he tried to escape, it pushed him back down. He gasped for air and urged his body to escape from the wet embrace. Finally standing up, he saw the brunet laughing. He frowned as he was mocked by his lover and the water that ran down his body. Briefly he stared back at the sea and saw the wave running away from him in laughing bubbling splashes. His long locks were plastered on his skin and his wet pants clung tightly to his body.

And Ling Tong kept laughing.

"Haha, very funny," Gan Ning said in annoyance. He shook his head and walked away from the wet sand. Thoughts of revenge played in his brain when he realized Ling Tong had let his guard down. So he rushed towards the brunet and grabbed him from behind. The tall body struggled in his hold, but Gan Ning kept him firmly in his arms. He took advantage of the moment to sneak his hands inside Ling Tong's clothes. The brunet shivered when he felt his skin being tormented by cold wetness, while the cruel fingers touched his torso. He almost lost his balance when Gan Ning jumped over his body, playfully trying to drag him down. His neck was attacked by a sequence of bites as Gan Ning's hands continued to roam over his body.

"Stop attacking me, you wet pirate!" Ling Tong yelled at the man clung to his body.

"Is it the best you got? Do you want me to feel offended by that?" Gan Ning laughed.

Ling Tong smiled and then laughed until he was made to turn around. Gan Ning put his arms around the brunet's neck and pulled him down to kiss him, almost making Ling Tong lose his balance again. The tall man's mouth was invaded by a warm tongue and his lips received several bites. But the kiss was brief, Ling Tong struggled in Gan Ning's hold and pushed him away to protest.

"You taste like salt!"

Gan Ning stared at his lover and smiled playfully. "Thought you liked a little seasoning."

"Not in my kisses," Ling Tong retorted.

"So you only like pirates in your kisses?" Gan Ning said in a huskier tone of voice, moving his body closer again and warping his arms around Ling Tong's neck.

"Who said I like pirates?" the brunet tried to avert his gaze, but found it locked to the blond's.

"Your lips." Gan Ning moved his mouth closer to Ling Tong's. "They keep telling me this when I kiss you." He licked his lover's lips languidly and gave them a peck, before he moved away, leaving Ling Tong waiting for more. "Let's go, we have a lot to see." He smiled at the other man and took hold of his wrist, leading the way.

Ling Tong found himself following a wet pirate. He stared at Gan Ning's back and he couldn't help but pay attention to it while he walked, the tattooed skin moving along with the muscles below it. He was entranced by the sight for a while before he realized they had reached the woods. The vegetation grew healthily in that area, covering the earth with lush green. It was a green he had never seen before, so bold and strong. The greenest of greens. It was on the grass, bushes and trees. It was everywhere.

As they walked, the leaves and branches waved at them in a welcome sign, and the tiny lilac and violet flowers smiled at them.

After they had walked some in the wood, they reached a place where several rocks lay on the ground, resting under the sunlight.

Ling Tong felt his face being caressed by a humid wind that soothed the hot temperature of the island. He looked around and saw several small waterfalls, creating a sparkling mist in the air. The cascading water fell gently over the rocks, splashing over the hard surface and then resting calmly on a translucent lake.

"Are you thirsty?" Gan Ning asked. "This water is great." He crouched near the lake and took some of the pure water in his hand, drinking with pleasure.

Ling Tong did the same, tasting the cool liquid. Soon he was reaching for more, until he satiated his thirst. "Hmm... it's so nice." He closed his eyes.

"Are you ready to go now?"

Ling Tong opened his eyes. "Where are we going?" He stared at Gan Ning.

"Are you tired already?" He gazed disapprovingly at his lazy lover.

"No! It's not like that" Ling Tong defended himself. "But it's too hot to be walking for too long."

"Hot you say..." Gan Ning scratched the back of his head in thought, then his eyes sparkled in delight when he had an idea. "I know a place you'll like."

"It's not too far, is it?"

"No." He made Ling Tong stand. "Do you see that cave there?" He pointed to the place and saw the brunet nodding. "There's something I want to show you."

Ling Tong saw himself being led by Gan Ning once more. They walked through the woods until they reached the cave. The temperature at the place was considerably colder than the exterior. As they walked, their footsteps echoed through the air. Ling Tong inspected the stone walls that seemed to sparkle slightly. He could hear a dripping sound at the end of the tunnel and felt that humid air being more present as they advanced.

Eventually, they reached a large area inside the cave. There were some stalactites hanging from the ceiling and the drops of water ran over it to fall in a large natural pool. Thin rays of sunlight squeezed themselves through some fends in the rocks, gleaming over the water, creating jade green sparkles over the surface.

_This is so beautiful._ Ling Tong sighed at the sight ahead.

"What are you waiting for?"

Ling Tong heard Gan Ning's shout reverberate over the place and saw his blond lover throwing his clothes over the rocks and jumping into the water naked, disturbing the once calm surface with the weight of his body. Ling Tong saw Gan Ning disappearing from sight for some seconds, before he returned into view with a large grin in his face.

"Come here!"

Ling Tong smiled and quickly stripped of all his clothes before jumping into the green waters. He felt himself going deeper into the pool and he struggled to get to the surface again. He breathed in deeply when his head reached the air, letting out a complaint afterwards. "It's cold!" He closed his arms around himself as he shivered uncontrollably.

"Ahahahahhahahaha," Gan Ning stared at him and laughed.

"Why are you laughing?" Ling Tong gritted his teeth continuously. "Are you crazy? You should've warned me before!"

"If I warned you I wouldn't see you like this," Gan Ning laughed some more and felt a splash of water coming in his direction. "Come on, don't be mad, I warm you." He swan to Ling Tong's direction and warped his arms around him.

"You're cold too," Ling Tong shivered in the embrace.

"I am," Gan Ning chuckled between shivers.

"What a great idea you had," Ling Tong chuckled and rested his head on the crook of Gan Ning's neck.

They shivered together until they grew more accustomed to the temperature of the water... but they kept shivering still.

"Let's get out of here, Gan Ning... I can't feel my legs."

The blond pirate laughed and pulled his lover across the waters, until they got their bodies out of the pool. They let the coldness run down their skin, until it dripped over the dry soil of the cave.

"Better now?" Gan Ning asked.

Ling Tong felt the warmth slowly return to his body, but he still felt cold.

"At least it's not hot anymore, is it?" Gan Ning smirked.

"Yeah... whatever..." Ling Tong picked his clothes from the ground.

"Are you going to get dressed?" Gan Ning asked.

"I'm not used to walk around naked."

"But it's a deserted island."

"Not now that we are here," Ling Tong put on his pants, fighting to get them on his wet skin. "Besides, if I walk around naked I can be attacked by pervert pirates."

Gan Ning scratched his chin. "Well, you're right..." He watched Ling Tong getting dressed.

"And you still have more things to show me before you molest me again, right?"

"Hm... I don't know..." Gan Ning grabbed him by the waist. "I can molest you now and show things later..." He breathed in Ling Tong's neck.

The brunet closed his eyes and hummed softly. He felt Gan Ning's lips brushing on the sensitive skin of his neck and moaned slightly in approval, but then the moment ended too soon. He opened his eyes and blinked in confusion, before he saw Gan Ning getting dressed.

"Let's go then," the pirate said after he finished putting on his pants. He walked some and then turned his head back, smirking.

xxx

"My lord?" Lu Xun asked at the entrance of the royal chambers.

Sun Quan shifted his gaze from the scroll at the table and stared at his young strategist, his expression brightening considerably. "Ah, come in, Boyan."

Only then Lu Xun dared to step inside the luxurious room. He walked swiftly through the royal chamber and stopped at a distance in front of Sun Quan's desk. "How can I be of your service, my lord?"

Sun Quan stared at him intently for a moment and he seemed to be lost in thought. He then raised himself from his chair and walked around his desk.

Lu Xun saw his lord walking past him and heading to the balcony. He stood there with his back to him, staring at the grandiose sky. Lu Xun stood there, just watching his lord in silence, before he heard him speak again.

"What would you think if I said that I just wanted your company?" Sun Quan asked softly, still with his back to his strategist.

Lu Xun blinked in surprise, trying to think of what he could say in response. "I think I'd be surprised," he answered in sincerity.

"Really?" Sun Quan arched an eyebrow.

Lu Xun chuckled softly with that. "Well, maybe not so surprised." He took some steps forward, stopping beside his lord on the balcony. "People need company, even the most important ones."

"Company..." Sun Quan whispered softly. "But I don't need just any company..." He tried to find his words to continue, but he couldn't help but feel nervous sometimes. "What I want to say is... I..."

Lu Xun stared at his lord in concern. "My lord, you don't need to put it into words if you don't feel comfortable with it. Take your time, until you feel you can do this..."

Sun Quan dared to look at his strategist, the boy had a soft expression and it calmed him down. "I just wanted to say that I like your company."

Lu Xun smiled. "I like your company too, my lord."

Sun Quan couldn't help but smile in contentment. He turned his head to stare again at the sky, and it seemed even more clear and blue.

They enjoyed the silence together, gazing at the horizon in peace, for a long time.

"I've been wondering," Sun Quan's voice was heard again. "What Gongji is doing at a time like this. Do you believe he's alright?"

"Yes, I do, my lord. I believe they are traveling on a ship, reaching distant lands, staring at a blue horizon."

"Don't you think it's too good to be true? It almost seems like a dream."

"What is wrong in wishing for the best? One day I believed in a dream of a honest and brave lord, so I did all I could to make it come true. And one day this dream was realized. So, my lord, yes, I believe in dreams. That's what keeps men alive."

xxx

They were high up the highest mountain, staring at the world ahead. The clouds seemed to be so close and the sky didn't seem to be far. The waterfalls that were around them created a white mist in the air before the waters fell into the rivers and the sea. If they stared down at the island, they could see trees so small that looked like little green flowers surrounded by a white line of sand. Beyond that there was an infinite blue sea, sparkling with the touch of the sun over the water surface. After that there was a never ending horizon, forever blue. They were so far away from the rest of the world, they could believe they were the only ones that existed. They could believe they were in heaven and time did not exist.

"I'm glad," Ling Tong whispered softly. "I'm glad you brought me here."

"Like it here, huh?" Gan Ning smiled. "I like it here too," he paused for a moment in thought, before he continued. "Maybe we could stay in this island, live below those huge tree roots I showed you."

"Do you want to live in a tree like monkeys do?" Ling Tong chuckled.

"Not up in the trees, below it."

"But there's not much space down there."

"Yeah, you're right. Maybe we should build a house near the beach."

"Gan Ning..." Ling Tong said in a soft voice.

"What?" The pirate looked beside him.

"You know I couldn't live in an island forever... and I bet you'd be bored too."

Gan Ning scratched the back of his head. "You got a point. Yeah, maybe it's better to travel in a ship, every time a new place."

"Ning..." Ling Tong called his lover's attention again. "You know it's not my life."

"Why not? You had fun in our journey."

"Yes, I did. But remember what I told you. I have to go back. I have my duties."

"You served that kingdom for your whole life! Why don't you start living your own life?" Gan Ning asked in frustration.

"Because that's my life! It's my life..." Ling Tong whispered and stared down.

Gan Ning kept looking at his lover for a long time and then averted his gaze, staring at the horizon with blank eyes.

"I'm sorry..." Ling Tong whispered. He waited for Gan Ning's outburst and waited some more, but it never came. He stared at his silent lover and wasn't able to decipher his feelings. "Xingba?" Again, there was no response. He moved closer and was prepared to be shoved away, but Gan Ning remained unmoving. Ling Tong stared at his face and pressed his body to the blond's. His hand caressed Gan Ning's side, feeling the hot skin and hard muscles with his fingers. He pressed his lips to the blond's ear and whispered softly, "Don't you have other places to show me?"

Gan Ning still didn't answer, but Ling Tong could notice his expression changed a little and his chest rose and fell faster.

"Come on." Ling Tong took Gan Ning's hand and pulled on it softly. "Let's go." He kissed the blond's ear.

Gan Ning put his hand on Ling Tong's back and caressed it softly. "Let's stay here some more," he whispered.

"Okay..." Ling Tong kissed Gan Ning's tattooed shoulder. "Let's stay here some more," he whispered over the skin.

"And then... later I'll show you the other part of this island. There are huge rocks..."

"And what more?"

"There is a river..."

xxx

Sun Quan walked into the conference room with a certain uneasiness. He didn't know why he still bothered to go to the meetings... Soon he saw the first and second in command of the investigation team walking proudly through the place.

"My lord," all men bowed respectfully.

Sun Quan instructed them to raise again and started to speak. "I am grateful for your hard work on this mission, but I must say that you don't need to continue it any longer."

All men stared in confusion.

"But, my lord," the second in command adjusted his fine robes and spoke in a confident voice, "I believe it is not the time to stop now that we are making such great progress in the investigation."

Sun Quan arched an eyebrow and opened his mouth to say something, but no words came out of it.

"And we finally found the fearsome pirate Gan Ning!" the first in command said excitedly.

"..." said Sun Quan in astonishment.

"Bring him in," the first in command instructed his guards. They came back quickly bringing a tied man to the room. "Here is Gan Ning."

Sun Quan stared at a man that resembled a dry gecko. He was short, thin and had skinny limbs. His almost bald head had just some astray hairs poking out of it and his eyes were dark round and attentive.

"He's not Gan Ning." Sun Quan concluded.

"But, my lord," the first in command said. "He insists he is Gan Ning. Look," the big man stared at the short one and asked in a firm voice, "Are you Gan Ning?"

The man's eyes sparkled and he started to shake in excitement, opening his almost toothless mouth to smile broadly. "I am Gan Ning," he nodded with enthusiasm.

"My lord, he says he is Gan Ning."

Sun Quan sighed deeply. "Have you ever thought he might be lying?"

The first in command stared in astonishment. All soldiers whispered to each other.

"That... is a possibility," the first in command agreed.

"But wait, my lord," the second in command said. "We have another suspect."

The first in command's eyes brightened as he said with enthusiasm, "We have another suspect indeed, my lord." He pointed to a direction. "That man over there."

Sun Quan stared at the place. "But I know that man, he's Zhou Tai."

The man in dark armor had his arms crossed in front of his chest. "I told them, my lord," he said in an even tone, but Sun Quan noticed a small shadow of annoyance in it.

The ruler of Wu stared back at the investigation team. "Listen to me, this mission is over. You must return to your previous duties, your work here is done."

The first and second in command exchanged glances and the leader decided to say, "We can't stop now, my lord."

"Why not?" Sun Quan asked slightly frustrated.

"We already sent our men to search for general Ling Tong in the sea, in the rivers, in the lakes and in the ponds."

The second in command unrolled a scroll and cleared his voice, "According to our studies, our men should be back in 72 hours, 2 months or 357 years. 50% of our men believe they will be back in 72 hours..."

"Okay, that's enough..." Sun Quan felt his head swirling with the information. "Let your men continue with the mission, but our meetings should be reduced from daily to... annual."

"But, my lord," the first in command rushed to his sovereign who was already leaving the room. "If we find valuable information?"

"..." Sun Quan sighed in defeat. "Then you must contact me, but only then."

"My lord, I have valuable information,"

"What is it...?" Sun Quan felt the urge to smack his head against the wall.

"It's... very secretive..."

"Okay..." Sun Quan instructed his officer to come closer.

"I believe..." The man said in a very hushed tone, so only his lord could listen. "...I believe that man in dark armor is Gan Ning disguised as your bodyguard."

Sun Quan sighed and nodded to his officer.

The first in command smiled broadly and nodded to his lord, satisfied for having delivered such valuable information.

xxx

The fire creaked accompanied by the soft sounds of waves under a starlit sky.

Ling Tong stared at a sad looking fish impaled in a dry stick, waiting for it to cool down for him to take a bite. He was comfortably lying on the soft sand beside the fire, resting his head on Gan Ning's lap.

"Is it good?" The blond asked.

Ling Tong bit on the soft belly of the fish and tasted it slowly. "Hm..." He took another bite. "Yep, decent enough."

Gan Ning retrieved his fish from the fire and tasted it. "Yeah, it's not bad," he said with his mouth full. He took two more fishes and put them over the fire.

Ling Tong adjusted his head on Gan Ning's lap and stared at the sea, even though the sky was dark above it, the waters seemed to sparkle under the moonlight. The waves went back and forward continuously, covering and uncovering the sand. It was then he saw dead eyes in front of his face and a smell of roasted fish. He took the stick in hand and ate the small animal in contentment. Ling Tong was almost finishing his fish when he felt a hand slide inside his clothes.

"Stop molesting me, I'm eating," he said while he munched on the rest of the fish.

"And what's the problem?" He kept teasing the warm skin of Ling Tong's chest with his fingers.

"You're distracting me." He finished eating the second fish and licked his fingertips. "One more," he stared up to look at Gan Ning's face.

The blond smirked and prepared one more fish. "See how I treat you well? You should be more grateful." He smiled down at him and scratched the back of Ling Tong's head gently.

"I bet you'll say I have to do something for you, you can't do anything without thinking of getting advantage of it."

"Of course, I'm a pirate," Gan Ning smirked and handed another fish to Ling Tong's awaiting hands. He watched as his lover ate contentedly and focused on stuffing his own stomach for a while. After he was satisfied, he stared at Ling Tong again and realized he had his eyes closed. He frowned slightly and took the brunet's head away from his lap, making it rest on the soft sand. Gan Ning covered Ling Tong with his body and attacked his neck with his mouth. "Hey, don't sleep yet," he said in between love bites. Gan Ning pressed his body down and slid his hands over Ling Tong. He heard a soft murmur and lifted his head to stare at the other man.

Ling Tong had his eyes still closed and his breathing was very calm and steady.

Gan Ning sighed deeply and rolled to the sand, lying on his back. "Ah... okay, let's sleep then." He stared at the sparkling stars in the dark sky for a moment and closed his eyes. "Let's sleep then."

x

x

x

**A/N:** I'm so sorry for not posting this chapter earlier... I had a busy week... getting prepared for D's tour in South America xD I hope it's a good excuse. I have to say they are all so sweet and Asagi has such nice thighs xD I still can't believe he held my hand :D If someone wants to talk about D, I'm here o/

You know that I've been writing lots of stories lately. I'm currently working on a FF8 story that I've been planning it for a while, it's kind of a big project of mine, not in length, but it takes a lot of effort to write. I promised **Lady Katatonic** that I would think about the Xu Huang/Zhang Liao after I posted this chapter, so I'll see what I can do. I have a Ma Chao/Zhao Yun comic drabble that I have to post one day xD It's very simple, it's a very silly idea, I think that's why I don't know if I should post it xD I'll write the next chapter of A Home for a Pirate as soon as I can. I think the next chapter will be the last. But don't worry, I plan to keep writing Gan Ning/Ling Tong fics. I had an idea these days, but I'll talk about it in the next chapter.

So thank you again **NekoKitty933**, **Stalli Anna** and **Animelover6000**, you are all awesome!

Well, I know it has nothing to do with the story but... As I have readers in some places in the world, maybe someone can help me. I'll spend a couple of days in LA and I'd like to know if someone knows a good place to buy electronics for a good price. I heard the city can be pretty expensive, but it's the first stop in my vacation and I need a new camera or maybe a cell phone with a quite decent camera. I don't want something professional, but I can be quite picky with the resolution of the photos, a reminiscence of photoshop classes back in college. So if anyone can help me...

See you in the next chapter!


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** I'm sorry for the long wait, this last chapter took me longer than I expected to write. I started right after I returned from my vacation to the US (which was really great) and I was trying to get it done until now. I think it took me this long to write because it's the last chapter and I wanted it to be good. It's not that I didn't want all the previous chapters to be good, but I think you got the meaning. **CherryNinja** showed me a song I didn't know, which is Farewell to Calingford, and it helped me feel inspired. I really want to thank her because I loved the song. I'll talk about more things and say my special thanks at the end of this chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>A Home for a Pirate<strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

A drop of wetness reached the darkness of sleep and every piece of a dream faded into a massive whiteness, a clarity that stung Ling Tong's eyes. His eyelids opened suddenly and he lifted the upper part of his body, looking at his surroundings. Everything around was white as if the clouds had descended from the skies, but they were actually up above, crying softly as if they were moved by a sad song. The sea was a hazy gray, waving uncertain in a lament, but the sand was still pearly white, sparkling like a precious dream. He looked around once more until he found Gan Ning sitting on the sand, staring at the ocean as the raindrops fell.

"Gan Ning, it's raining," Ling Tong tried to call the pirate's attention, but the man kept focused on some mysterious point in the sea.

By then the raindrops started to fall more profusely and Ling Tong stood up quickly, "Gan Ning!" once more he tried to call the pirate's attention.

The blond man stood up slowly and finally turned to stare at Ling Tong. The look was deep, as if it kept hidden a song of turbulent waves dancing in a storm. Ling Tong had his eyes fixed on Gan Ning's and felt at a loss for words for a moment; he took one step closer to the tattooed blond-a radiant mass of warmth covered by muscles and skin. He put both hands at the sides of Gan Ning's face, gently as a feather-like caress, all the while looking at his eyes. "Let's go," he said softly. His right hand slid down Gan Ning's cheek, then followed a trail down his shoulder and arm until it stopped on the pirate's hand.

Gan Ning tilted his head slightly to keep staring at Ling Tong in the eye and silently followed the hand that guided his.

The rain was then falling heavily and they ran through the beach until they found a place to hide in the forest, the protection of a hollow tree. They escaped from the rain inside the huge cavity of the trunk of the giant piece of wood. They could see the rain falling on the beach through the spaces in the vegetation: pearly sand covered by a gray fog and a distant faded line of turbulent waters. It seemed the rain didn't reach them as heavily where they were, the forest offering the protection of the tree's leaves-tiny little green warriors shielding them from the heavy water. Some of the persistent raindrops reached the earth, but they landed softly after sliding over the leaves and falling graciously in the air. As the time passed the fragrant smell of wood and wet soil was more evident, what wasn't unpleasant at all.

Ling Tong felt Gan Ning's head rest on his shoulder and turned to look at his face. The blond had his eyes closed and he seemed to be almost lost in a dreamland.

"Are you tired?" Ling Tong's voice resounded softly inside the trunk, but he soon regretted to have disturbed his lover's nap.

Gan Ning flickered his eyelids slightly before opening them slowly, then adjusted his head in a better position on Ling Tong's shoulder. "Yeah... a little, didn't sleep much."

"I thought you were used to sleep on the sand."

"I was thinking... thinking about... " Gan Ning trailed off before pressing his body to Ling Tong and closing his eyes again.

The brunet stared as the pirate's body relaxed against his. "I'm sorry. I'll stop talking, you can sleep now." He warped his arms around the muscular body and adjusted the blond's position so he could rest more comfortably.

Gan Ning sighed contentedly and pressed his face to the crook of Ling Tong's neck. "You can talk, if you want," he said lazily.

"But why would I talk when you're sleeping?"

"I don't mind hearing your voice in my sleep... I kinda like it."

"Will you dream about me?"

"Yeah, I'll dream about tying you and having my way with you."

"Oh, you're so romantic," Ling Tong rolled his eyes.

"I know I am," Gan Ning half smirked for a moment and then relaxed his expression, feeling a warm wave of sleep cover his body.

xxx

"Gan Ning?"

The blond pirate opened his eyes slowly and breathed in softly before answering, "Hm?"

"I think we can go now." Ling Tong stared at the dripping sound of leaves saying goodbye to the last raindrops. He could see the gray atmosphere giving place to a wet green forest and a frail veil of sunlight bathe the beach that was lying ahead, beyond the trees.

Gan Ning lifted his head off Ling Tong's shoulder and looked at his surroundings.

"We can go back to the ship, change our clothes, eat and then sleep again. What do you think?" Ling Tong turned his head to stare at the blond.

Gan Ning remained silent for a moment and then got outside of the hollow tree. "Okay."

Ling Tong followed the blond's moves and walked with him through the forest. "I'm really hungry, you know," he said when they reached the beach.

Gan Ning remained silent, staring at the pearly sand and feeling that, despite it being soaked by the long-lasting rain, the grains were warm.

"Where is it?"

The blond lifted his head, startled by the question. "What?"

"The boat," Ling Tong put his hands on his hips and tilted his head slightly to the side. "Don't tell me you forgot it," he said, slightly annoyed.

Gan Ning half smirked. "What if I did?"

"I'd kill you." Ling Tong took some steps closer to the other man. "Gan Ning, it's serious. I told you I don't want to stay in this..." Ling Tong trailed off before speaking again. "Oh there it is!" He smiled and walked toward the location where they had left the boat.

Gan Ning followed behind Ling Tong. "It means you had forgotten where it was..."

"Uh..." the brunet narrowed his eyes slightly. "No."

"If you didn't see it you'd never remember again."

"'Never seems a little too much. I'd remember it eventually."

"Not if I hid it."

"Not if you..." Ling Tong stopped and turned to face the pirate. "Gan Ning, what are you implying?"

"That you'd never find the boat if I'd gotten rid of it."

Ling Tong stared at Gan Ning's eyes for a moment of silence, before speaking again. "You do realize I know how to swim, don't you?"

"And if I had put explosives in the ship?"

"Then I'd be stuck with you forever in this island and it's not what... Gan Ning, we don't want it. Believe me, you wouldn't want it."

"Why not?" The blond smirked.

"Because you'd be bored in two days."

"Are you sure?" Gan Ning teased.

Ling Tong reached the boat and started to freed it from its secured place. "Yes, I am sure."

Gan Ning helped the brunet push the boat toward the sea, creating a trail on the sand. Soon it reached the salty waters that waved against the wooden surface. Ling Tong kept pushing the boat toward the open sea's direction and then turned his head to Gan Ning. "Are you coming or not?"

The blond pirate stared at some point of the horizon, between the gray clouds of a recent rain and the fragile rays of dancing yellow of the sun. "Can we stay here for a while?"

"We'll come back here later," Ling Tong said softly.

Gan Ning nodded silently, but stayed in place.

Ling Tong sighed and moved against the waves to go back to where Gan Ning was. He stood in front of him, until the blond looked at his eyes.

"Let's go." Ling Tong offered a small smile and grabbed the blond's wrists gently, guiding him toward the boat.

Gan Ning let Ling Tong guide him and it didn't take long for both of them to be on the boat, fighting against the waves in the direction of the ship. The blond felt the swing of the body of water and looked at his surroundings. The sky was less gray and more white; the frail yellow sunrays were turning gold, creating a gentle sparkle over the waters; the island was becoming distant, the vivid green faded until it became a shadow, a still fresh memory of cascades, rocks, leaves and sand; a once close reality that soon would be a distant dream.

xxx

Ling Tong opened his eyes and arched an eyebrow, though no one could see it in the middle of the darkness-that was darker than the deepest slumber. The young general relied on his instincts to find his way out of the room. When he reached the corridors of the ship, he could finally discern some shadowy forms, but it was too dark still. The world, somehow, seemed to be covered by a spell of silence. Ling Tong couldn't hear a thing. The wood did not creak around him and there was no distant sound of the sea. There was just a faint thud of footsteps as he walked through the corridors. When he reached outside, the world was still silent, it even seemed to have stopped. There was nothing that could be seen around the ship, no waves, no clouds, no stars, no distant horizon, it seemed as if the ship was covered by an eternal mantle of darkness. The only light that illuminated the place was the flickering fire of lamps and candles, glowering golden. Ling Tong finally spotted Gan Ning on the deck, with his back to him, hands resting on the rail, eyes staring at some point ahead. For a moment, Ling Tong just stared, admiring the skin bathed by the golden light of the lamps, the tattoos on his back and arms moving softly as the blond breathed.

Ling Tong stepped closer, warped an arm around Gan Ning's waist and rested his head on his shoulder. "What are you thinking?" he asked softly.

"What am I thinking?" Gan Ning felt Ling Tong's body pressed to his and smiled. "Why do you insist on wearing clothes?"

Ling Tong chuckled. "Seriously."

"It's serious." Gan Ning turned and faced Ling Tong, smirking at him.

"Okay then," Ling Tong took one step back and started to strip in front of Gan Ning, who stared at how the nicely sculpted body was being revealed. Gan Ning couldn't help but love every piece of skin, every curve of muscle, every part of it. "Better now?" Ling Tong asked after his body was entirely at display.

"Yeah, better," Gan Ning grinned and started to take off his clothes, which didn't take long because he wasn't wearing that many pieces of clothing to begin with. "Now, where's your scarf?"

"Oh you didn't forget that idea..." Ling Tong stared as Gan Ning rummaged through his clothes that were scattered over the floor.

"Here it is." Gan Ning retrieved the piece of fabric and tested its resistance. "It will do."

"Why am I always the one getting tied?"

"Because you like it."

"Excuse me?" Ling Tong arched an eyebrow in question.

"Stop talking and move." Gan Ning pushed Ling Tong through the deck until they reached the mast.

Gan Ning tied Ling Tong's wrists with the scarf and tied the scarf to a rope, securing it on the mast. When he finished, he was satisfied with the result of his work, even though he had seen Ling Tong's body many times, it was always nice to look at him and there was something very erotic in having the man at his mercy. He slid his hand over the naked skin, starting on a hip then going up to the back. Then he leaned over Ling Tong and slid his hands over his chest, brushing his fingers over his nipples and then going down his ribcage. He guided one hand down his groin and searched for the member that called for attention. Gan Ning stroked it slightly as he guided his other hand over one ass cheek, squeezing it before he brought the hand up to where Ling Tong's mouth was.

"Open it." He felt the lips part and slid two fingers inside, pressing them against the warm tongue until Ling Tong sucked on them. Gan Ning smiled in contentment and retrieved his fingers when he thought it was enough. "Spread your legs," he ordered.

Without protest Ling Tong bent a little and pressed his tied hands to the mast in an effort to try to keep his balance. He felt one finger brush against his opening and making its way in without much ceremony. He concentrated on relaxing and letting the finger slide in, easing the way for a second finger. Ling Tong bit on his lower lip as he felt the fingers stretching him. He exhaled deeply when he felt the fingers move out, but soon he felt the tip of Gan Ning's slicked member brush against his opening. It seemed the blond didn't intend on wasting any time, he grabbed one side of Ling Tong's hip, only waiting for the other man to position himself in a better way to push in.

Ling Tong closed his eyes tightly and willed himself to relax as he felt the head coming inside. He felt Gan Ning retreat briefly to push his member in again, sliding it a bit further than before, until retreating again. Once more, Gan Ning pushed in and penetrated Ling Tong slowly, until most of his cock was inside. Then he retreated once again, letting only the head in until he pushed inside all the way in. He tried to establish a rhythm slowly, until he grabbed Ling Tong's hips with both hands and sped up his pace.

Ling Tong pressed his face to his hands pressed to the mast, biting on them as he felt all his body heat up with the member pounding into him. He felt Gan Ning was holding nothing back, as he pulled his hips backward to meet his hard thrusts. Despite his discomfort and pain, Ling Tong couldn't deny he craved for Gan Ning's cock driving deep and hard. His entire body was shaking for the effort to keep himself in position and his legs felt like they would give up at any moment, but Gan Ning held him firmly. Even though Ling Tong felt it was getting difficult to keep up, he urged for

"More..."

Gan Ning complied and kept thrusting relentlessly, fulfilling his needs until he felt his senses explode in an intense heat and he came inside Ling Tong.

The brunet felt the organ moving out and the warm weight of a sweaty body lean over him. "Gan Ning..."

"I know..." The blond moved away and patted Ling Tong's back. He squeezed the brunet's shoulder and slid the hand over the glistening skin of his sweaty back.

Ling Tong felt the unwanted loss of contact with Gan Ning, but soon found him in his line of vision. He stared down and saw the blond kneeling in front of him. Ling Tong saw Gan Ning smirking at him when he took the neglected member and stroked it a few times. The blond pirate inched his mouth closer, until Ling Tong could feel his hot breath, but the mouth never got close enough. Ling Tong was about to tell Gan Ning to stop teasing, when he felt two of the blond's fingers slid over one ass cheek, brushing between his cleft, penetrating him again. He moaned unashamedly and soon felt the heat of a wet mouth over the head of his member. The fingers entered deeply and Gan Ning imitated the motion with his mouth, engulfing more of Ling Tong's cock. Soon the fingers were thrusting in and out faster, as vigorously as the mouth was working over him. Ling Tong was feeling closer and closer, but suddenly, he felt Gan Ning stop his movements and retreat his mouth and fingers. The brunet was about to complain in frustration when the fingers retreated, but then he felt three fingers instead of two making their way in. Only when they were completely inside, Gan Ning returned to sucking on the brunet's member. Ling Tong felt the blond's throat constricting around his cock and felt more and more light-headed...

"Gan Ning..."

The blond hummed in acknowledgement that Ling Tong was close and received the brunet's come into his mouth. He took load after load and instead of spitting he swallowed everything Ling Tong gave him. Gan Ning retreated his fingers and licked the brunet's member clean. Ling Tong watched him with half-lidded eyes and saw a smirk on Gan Ning's face when he finished, after a final kiss on his cock.

"Better now?" The pirate stared up with a smirk on his face.

"Yeah..." Ling Tong answered after he regained his breathing. "Can you free me now? I can't hold on much longer," he said tiredly.

Gan Ning stood up and quickly released Ling Tong from his own scarf. It wasn't long before he felt the brunet's body collapsing in his arms. Gan Ning held him tightly and helped him support the weight of his body. Ling Tong warped his arms around the blond's and buried his face on the tattooed shoulder.

"I think I need another bath now..." Ling Tong whispered over the warm skin.

"You're telling me you want me to prepare a bath for you?"

"Hm... yeah."

Gan Ning patted his back. "Okay, but you need to let go of me."

Ling Tong grunted slightly in annoyance, but let some space for the blond to move.

Gan Ning chuckled slightly when he saw the brunet trying to walk back to their room.

"It's not funny," Ling Tong retorted as he took some steps clumsily.

"Do you want me to help you?" Gan Ning smirked in amusement.

"No..." the brunet kept moving stubbornly forward.

"I can carry you."

"No way!"

Gan Ning laughed and put an arm around Ling Tong's waist.

"I told you I didn't need your help," the brunet grunted in annoyance.

"I'm not helping you, I'm just molesting you on the way to the room." He squeezed Ling Tong's waist and kissed his shoulder.

"Er... okay. I guess," Ling Tong.

"I can't believe you actually agreed on letting me molest you."

"What can I do? If I say no you'll do it anyway."

"Yeah, you're right." Gan Ning smirked.

They made their way inside, not saying anything anymore. Soon they couldn't be seen anymore on the deck, they had disappeared into the darkness.

xxx

_"I can't wait to be home again!" _

_"Why are you so excited to leave me?" _

_"It's not like that. I miss my homeland, my friends... Don't you miss it too?" _

_"I miss the friends I made in Wu too, I think about them, I wonder if they're alright, but I don't know if you've ever felt it, the need to keep moving forward, to discover new things... Sometimes it's stronger than anything. I don't have a homeland, I go when the wind blows. I decide to go somewhere and I go. I guess my ship is my home." _

_"I always wanted to fight for my land, to bring peace to it, and then one day, have a place where I could live peacefully, for the rest of my life, with the people I love." _

xxx

The sun was gentle in the sky when a green gaze stared at it. Sun Quan felt calm that day, it seemed the breeze that caressed his skin also whispered in his ear a message of peace.

"My lord."

Sun Quan turned when he heard the deep masculine voice. "Yes, Youping."

"General Ling Tong has returned."

Sun Quan blinked in surprise for a moment, he almost asked himself if it was true, but he knew Zhou Tai would never lie to him.

"Where's Gongji?"

xxx

Beautiful brown eyes had a gleam of happiness as they stared at the man in front of him.

"Gongji..." Lu Xun said with visible emotion in his voice. "I missed you." He warped his arms around the taller man's waist and buried his face on his chest.

"I missed you too, Boyan." Ling Tong said while holding the young strategist tightly.

"Our lord will be happy to see you." Lu Xun stared up and smiled one of his precious smiles.

They held each other for a long warm while, until they finally ended their embrace. Lu Xun stared at the third man in amazement, not quite believing in what his eyes were seeing. "Master Gan Ning."

The blond pirate smirked and opened his arms. "Come give me a hug too, Boyan."

Lu Xun smiled and warped his arms around Gan Ning's waist, feeling the warmth of his body pressed to his. "I missed you too, where have you been?"

"Lots of cool places." He caressed Lu Xun's soft hair gently. "I missed you too."

"You look different," Lu Xun said, inspecting the pirate in curiosity.

"More handsome than ever?"

Lu Xun chuckled. "Just different."

Not long after, footsteps could be heard and they all turned to the direction of the sound.

"My lord," Lu Xun said with a bright smile. "Look who is here."

"Gongji..." Sun Quan said with his voice filled with emotion, before hugging his officer with warmth. "I've been so worried about you."

"I'm sorry, my lord, I didn't mean to make you worry," Ling Tong said softly, feeling guilty for a moment. "I thought no one would've noticed it."

"Our lord ordered an entire group of soldiers to search for you day and night," Lu Xun said.

"Really?" Ling Tong was surprised and ashamed. "I really didn't mean to cause you so much trouble!"

"Don't worry, Gongji." Sun Quan stared at Ling Tong's eyes. "The important thing is that you're here and safe." He then stared beside the officer and showed a large smile. "Xingba." Sun Quan went to the pirate's direction and hugged him warmly. "I thought I'd never see you again. How have you been?"

"I've been sailing around in my ship, this kind of stuff," Gan Ning smirked.

"This moment needs a celebration!" Sun Quan concluded.

"Yeah party time!" Gan Ning said excitedly.

"Boyan, we'll need a big feast," Sun Quan said.

"I'll do the best I can, my lord," Lu Xun smiled.

"I need to propose something," Ling Tong called their attention and saw all heads turning in his direction. "We found a treasure in our journey and we'd like to use it to help the orphans of war."

"Oh, that's a very noble gesture, Gongji," Sun Quan said with sincerity. "We'll do as you wish."

"Thank you, my lord," Ling Tong smiled.

"You even found a treasure in your journey, it must have been fun," Lu Xun smiled.

"Yeah it was a lot of fun," Gan Ning answered for Ling Tong. "We had a lot of fun together," he said staring at Ling Tong's eyes.

xxx

No clouds could be seen in the sky that seemed to be even larger than it was. Sparkling little stars awaited for the beginning of the festivities, jiggling contently at their special position up above.

"Do you like it, Gongji?" Sun Quan asked.

Ling Tong looked around and saw the beautifully decorated place, full of colors and life. "Yes, it's beautiful."

"My lord."

Sun Quan turned to look at the familiar voice's direction and saw the first and second in command of the investigation team staring at him. "What is it?" he asked carefully.

"We have a new report," the leader said.

"We found evidence that a new ship arrived at the port," the second in command said before unrolling a scroll. "According to our survey, 50% of our men believe it's the famous ship of the pirate Gan Ning; 50% believe it's an ordinary pirate's ship; 37% affirm it's a merchant's ship; but the majority, 181% of our men believe it's Cao Cao's lost cruise ship for holidays."

The leader of the team nodded in agreement.

"Cao Cao's cruise ship?" Ling Tong asked in confusion.

"That's right, general Ling Tong, we believe we found the famous 'party vessel' of the Three Kingdoms Era," the leader said.

"Oh my, I didn't know it really existed."

"I believe we found a real historic treasure, general Ling Tong..." The leader of the investigation trailed off and stared again at the man in front of him. He scratched his black mustache in thought and eyed the general closer, until he blinked in astonishment. "My lord, we found him." He stared at Sun Quan.

"Who did you find?" Ling Tong asked in curiosity.

"We found you, general Ling Tong."

The second in command's eyes widened in surprise. "We found him."

"Yes, we did," the leader smiled broadly, tears of emotion gathering in the corner of his eyes.

"My lord," the second in command said. "I believe we deserve a promotion for a job well done."

"A promotion?" Sun Quan asked awkwardly.

"Yes, my lord," the officers said in unison, with eyes filled with hope.

"Well..." Sun Quan scratched the back of his head in confusion. "I... I'll think about it," he said nervously, hoping that would satisfy the officers for the moment.

"Thank you, my lord," the first in command bowed enthusiastically.

"Thank you, my lord," the second in command also bowed and they both left with their hearts filled with hope.

"Funny guys, aren't they?" Ling Tong said amusedly.

"..." the sovereign of Wu said.

"My lord," Lu Xun called Sun Quan's attention. "The banquet is ready."

"Ah, of course!" Sun Quan said with a brighter mood.

They arrived a large square in the open air, with several large tables filled with food. There were several officers gathered, but also children, many children that had received gifts.

When Sun Quan positioned himself in his place, everyone bowed respectfully and then stared at him, waiting for his words.

"My friends," his voice could be heard clearly, resounding over the large area. "We are here to celebrate the return of one of my best officers, general Ling Tong, and we also have the great pleasure of having the presence of general Gan Ning, after a long time. This is also a time to celebrate love and kindness, because these two generals have returned with many gifts for you, my children, all the food, the clothes and the toys were given by them. And this wasn't possible only because of the treasure they brought. It was possible, because of their hearts; their hearts are the true treasure they have. Kindness and generosity are more precious than jewels. This hope was their true present. A hope for a better place to live, a better life, a better kingdom; they fought for a better kingdom, they fought for a better future for you." Sun Quan paused for a moment and stared at Lu Xun, who smiled at him, and then continued with his speech, "There's no better future without hope. One day I hoped my dear generals returned and they have returned. One day I hoped for a land in peace and it came true. We can't realize our goal without fighting with our hearts. We can't fight with our hearts without dreams and we cannot dream without hope. This, my friends, is a celebration for hope." He raised his goblet. "For hope."

Everyone raised their goblets and toasted. There was a visibly bright mood in the air, all the people drank, ate and talked contently.

"Yeah, that's a great party." Gan Ning said. "You're really important for our lord for him to make such homage for you..."

"Hey, it's not my party, it's our party. Lord Sun Quan made it clear," Ling Tong said before taking a sip of his drink.

"Yeah, but he mentioned you first, saying that he prayed for your return and things like that..."

"He didn't say that..." Ling Tong stared at Gan Ning and finally asked, "Are you jealous?"

"What? Me? No. Just because he likes to hug you and say that he missed you."

"You know that his thing is with Lu Xun, not me."

"Did they finally get together?" Gan Ning asked in curiosity.

"Not that I know of," Ling Tong shook his head.

"Man, these two need help."

"No, Gan Ning, they have to find their own way." As soon as he said that, he saw his lord following Lu Xun to another place. "Maybe it's tonight," he smiled playfully.

xxx

Sun Quan saw the young strategist staring at the sky in a contemplative manner and for a moment was afraid to disturb him, so the young sovereign just stood there, silently watching his officer.

"My lord..." Lu Xun turned his head to Sun Quan's direction, but did not look at him in the eyes.

"I'm sorry if I... I..."

Lu Xun smiled gently. "There's no need to apologize, my lord."

"But you wanted to be alone..."

"No, my lord, I just wanted to come here to have a better view of the moon and besides... I like your company..."

"So you don't mind if I stay here with you," Sun Quan smiled in relief and took some steps closer, until he was at Lu Xun's side. "It is a really beautiful night."

"Yes, my lord," Lu Xun smiled.

Sun Quan stared at Lu Xun by his side at felt at a loss for words. He was so nervous he didn't know what to say... in fact he did know what he wanted to say... he just didn't know how to say it... and he took a deep breath and... he felt a hand brush his. It was a very soft touch, unintentional, but it was enough to make the young lord's heart beat faster and he finally gathered the courage to take the smaller hand in his. He realized Lu Xun didn't seem to mind the contact, so he caressed the young strategist's hand with his fingers.

"Boyan, I..." he felt nervous again, but didn't let go of Lu Xun's hand, instead, he guided it to his mouth and kissed his fingers. That made the young strategist blush slightly, but instead of taking his hand away, he slid his fingers over one side of Sun Quan's face.

They stared at each other and Lu Xun brought his other hand to the other side of Sun Quan's face. "You have beautiful eyes, my lord."

That was a compliment Sun Quan wasn't expecting and he couldn't help but smile. "But yours are even more beautiful. I want to drown into them whenever I look at you." Sun Quan cupped Lu Xun's face with his hands and planted a kiss on his lips. "You don't know how much I dreamed of this moment." He put his arms around the smaller body and held him tightly.

Lu Xun felt the warmth of Sun Quan's body and pressed his face to his chest, feeling his heartbeats. He relaxed his body and was lost in the moment until Sun Quan made him look at him again. The ruler of Wu leaned in and kissed Lu Xun again, this time more deeply. For a long while, only the sound of their lips and breathing could be heard.

"Thank you, Boyan."

"Why are you thanking me?"

"Because you gave me this moment."

"My lord wishes more moments like this?" Lu Xun asked softly.

"Only if you want it too."

"My lord, your wish is my wish..."

xxx

The festivities lasted until late of the night when the people started to return to their rooms. Ling Tong spent great part of the party talking with his friends, telling them the stories of his journey. Gan Ning had been by his side for most of the time, but eventually he said he was going to get something to drink.

It had been some time since he left.

Ling Tong excused himself saying he would get something to drink and started searching for the blond. There were just a few people around, so it would be easy to find a blond mane... but Gan Ning was nowhere in sight at the party.

He felt the sensation that something was wrong, like a cold dread running through his spine.

Ling Tong searched through all the places of the party and then checked the same places again.

_What happened to him? Did he go to our room? _

Ling Tong found out Gan Ning wasn't in their room either, so there was only one other place he could think of.

xxx

The air in the port was cold; the wind hollowed and whistled against the resting sails. Ling Tong walked closer to the ship with his arms warped around himself, it seemed every step he took made him feel colder. It didn't take long, however, for him to find Gan Ning standing at the pier, facing the ship, with his back to him.

"Did you need to come here to look for a drink?" Ling Tong inquired sarcastically, his voice cutting the cold air like the lashing strike of a whip.

Gan Ning heard the dangerous tone of the other man's voice and turned to stare at Ling Tong, an indescribable look on his face.

"If you wanted to go again, why didn't you tell me? Why sneak your way out of my life?" Ling Tong couldn't hide anymore the anguish he felt. "I thought you would stay... a little more..."

"Ling Tong..." Gan Ning took some steps closer and smiled. "Don't be so dramatic, it's only a goodbye."

"Only a goodbye?!" Ling Tong couldn't believe in what he heard.

"Yeah, only a goodbye. I was telling my ship that she would miss me, but I'd meet her again one day."

"You were telling goodbye to your ship?" Ling Tong arched an eyebrow in surprise.

"Only for some time... I think I'll stay here for a while... only to know if what people say is true..."

"What people say?" The brunet's voice softened considerably.

Gan Ning motioned for Ling Tong to come closer and when the brunet did, he held both of his arms, squeezing them slightly in a reassuring manner. The blond then warped his arms around Ling Tong and the brunet's chin rested on the crook of his neck. Gan Ning felt the other man relax in the embrace and then he brushed his lips over Ling Tong's ear to whisper his next words, "They say that home is where the heart is."

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><p><strong>The End<strong>

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><p><strong>AN: **Some years ago I read in a forum someone saying something along the lines of "My home is Sweden because home is where the heart is". I thought it was a very naive thing, not in a bad way, but in a sweet and innocent way. I didn't thought about it afterwards, until it suddenly popped into my head while I was thinking about some kind of a sequel to Shaky Ground. So that's how I came up with the idea for the story.

I'm so happy to see that it actually have loyal readers, because when I idealized this project in my head I thought it was difficult for someone to read. I wanted to test some writing skills and create some kind of surrealistic feel to it, a dream-like experience with synesthesic elements. When I finished the first chapter I concluded it was actually readable and I felt really excited that people did not ran away from this story that I planned to be my most audacious piece of fanfiction until then. I'm so glad also that people could laugh at the comic moments, I love to write humor. I tried to add some Sun Quan/Lu Xun, but it was a little difficult for me because I imagined how they're relationship would progress and it was very slowly xD Too slowly compared to the main pairing, which had much more barriers to overcome to work out a relationship. It really depends on the characters for me and Gan Ning and Ling Tong are much more fast to make their move. **NekoKitty933** has mentioned the possibility of a fic focused on Sun Quan/Lu Xun, I really considered it and I had thought about it many times, but it's a very difficult pairing for me xD I don't discard the possibility of writing a Sun Quan/Lu Xun, but I'm concentrating on other projects right now. There's a Xu Huang/Zhang Liao I mentioned, it's also a very difficult pairing for me, but I'll see if I can finish this story. I also mentioned I had an idea for a next Gan Ning/Ling Tong, it's a comic story. The first Koei game I played was Dynasty Warriors 6, so Gan Ning dies in one of the endings and I thought of writing a ghost story, but I didn't want it to be a sad story. I imagined what it would be like if Gan Ning haunted Ling Tong xD. I don't know if I'm going to write it, it's just an idea. There's a comic Ma Chao/Zhao Yun shortfic that I posted some days ago, so if you like humor...

Now if you're curious to know about my literary inspirations for this story, I'll tell you. Whenever I wasn't in the right mood to write I read Pablo Neruda's sonnets, they really helped me feel inspired, they are really beautiful. After I wrote some chapters I remembered a book I read some years ago that might have inspired me in some way, it's Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities. In the story, Marco Polo describes cities to the emperor Kublai Khan in a very peculiar way, the cities all seem like fantastic places coming from a colorful imagination. Another book that might have inspired me in some way was The Shadow-Line by Joseph Conrad, a novel in which a young captain finds himself stuck in the middle of the sea.

Thank you everyone who stood by my side in this crazy project of mine. I'm glad I finished this story, but I'm sad I couldn't do more, I couldn't make it better. I wanted it to be my best story, but I still have to work, I came home tired and I couldn't write every day, it was not every time I had full energy to dedicate myself to this work. Even so, I had fun writing it. Special thanks to **Animelover6000, AtoreySKane, autoboticon, Beltxa Escondida, CherryNinja, hieveryone101, IgNighted, Jhaernyl, Kaito Naito -Eject, LadyKatatonic, Nan Ma, NekoKitty933, Stalli Anna, tsukiko3000, Unending Shadows, Xian Ke **and everyone who read and helped me in some way. Maybe we'll see each other again.


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